Zebra foal brings Easter joy at Wild Place Project

It has been an eggstra special Easter weekend for visitors to Wild Place Project in Bristol, who have been cooing over the latest new arrival – a zebra foal.

The zebra foal was born late on Saturday 16 April and is vitally important in safeguarding this near threatened species. 

The infant zebra was born to 12-year-old mum Florence and dad, Peter, who is six.  

Will Walker, animal manager at Wild Place Project, said: “Every birth is special but this one is particularly special, arriving during the Easter break. He is a lovely zebra foal and is already settling down to life with his family. 

“Florence proved to be a very good mother, first time round, and is showing every sign of being as good again.” 

Keepers are also celebrating the first ever birth of a wolverine kit at the zoo. The young kit’s birth is particularly exciting as wolverines became extinct in the wild in Britain more than 8,000 years ago.

While patient visitors may catch sight of the young female wolverine, her mother, Alice, has been keeping her out of sight most of the time, in the nest she made in Wild Place’s Bear Wood exhibit. 

The zebra foal’s stripes are currently brown and his fur is much fuzzier than her parents’ but it will darken in time. 

Will said: “He began suckling very soon after he was born and was walking and running around within a matter of minutes. All the signs are very encouraging.”

The new foal is a plains zebra which is classified as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers are in decline in their native Africa due to hunting and loss of habitat. 

Will said: “His birth will hopefully help to raise awareness of the future of this near threatened species as their population in the wild continues to fall.” 

The exhibit is linked to an ongoing field conservation project in Cameroon to save one of the few remaining populations of Kordofan giraffe left in the wild. 

Experts from Bristol Zoological Society, the charity that owns and runs Wild Place Project and its sister attraction Bristol Zoo Gardens, have been undertaking a critical research programme to map the habitat and conduct a population census of some of the remaining Kordofan giraffe in the wild using drone technology. 

Wild Place Project was opened by Bristol Zoological Society in 2013 with an emphasis on protecting threatened habitats on our doorsteps and around the globe. 

It is just off junction 17 of the M5, and is also home to animals from across the world including bears, wolves, lynx, wolverine, cheetahs, lemurs, meerkats and more. 

Over Easter, visitors are also enjoying the two eggciting Easter family trails at both Wild Place Project and Bristol Zoo Gardens. 

Between 9 and 24 April, giant eggs will be hidden around both visitor attractions for families to discover. There will be stickers for all taking part and the chance to win a top prize including an annual pass to Wild Place Project, a goodie bag, and an opportunity to hand feed penguins at Bristol Zoo Gardens. 

To book tickets and find out more about Wild Place Project go to wildplace.org.uk. For more information about plans to create the new Bristol Zoo which will open at the Wild Place site in 2024, go to future.bristolzoo.org.uk.