Edinburgh Zoo has announced the arrival of an endangered zebra.
Over the weekend, the zoo welcomed a Grevy’s zebra stallion from Chessington World of Adventures in England. The animal, named Oberon, has arrived at the Scottish capital as part of a breeding programme for the at-risk species.
Keepers at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) are hopeful Oberon will mate with Edinburgh Zoo’s resident females Azizi and Grace. After this, he is expected to return to Chessington at the end of the year.
With the arrival of Oberon, Edinburgh Zoo is currently home to four zebras. He joins Azizi and Grace, as well as Daniella.
According to the Edinburgh Zoo website, Daniella was born in 2002 and arrived at the attraction in 2008. Meanwhile, Grace is six years old and joined the zoo in 2021, while Azizi was born in 2019 and arrived in 2022.
Visitors to the attraction can now see Oberon for themselves. He has been placed with the remainder of the herd at Edinburgh Zoo’s hilltop habitat.
Grevy’s zebras are the largest wild equid, and are the most threatened of the three species of zebra. They reside in semi-arid savannas in Kenya and Ethiopia, and can survive for up to five days without water.
The species is currently classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are the largest of the zebra family and are therefore popular amongst both predators and poachers.
As reported by the Daily Record, Edinburgh Zoo announced last week that it would be introducing a permanent discount for Universal Credit recipients. Those receiving the benefit can now buy tickets to the zoo, as well as Highland Wildlife Park, at a major discount.
More information can be found on the Edinburgh Zoo website.
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