New baby zebra at West Midland Safari Park enjoys her first days outside

A baby zebra who was born at one of the UK’s top animal attractions just a few weeks ago has been seen by visitors for the first time. Little Lola, who was born at West Midland Safari Park in March, is a rare Grevy zebra. 

The Park’s Grevy’s zebra are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Now, the sweet foal has found her feet and has joined her mum, Akuna, and dad, Kees, out on the safari for the first time. These photos  which have been sent to NationalWorld, show she has enjoyed being out and about.

Lola was born in the early hours of 17 March, after staff had been eagerly anticipating her arrival for over a year. Grevy’s zebra are pregnant for 13 months so keepers had to be extra patient while waiting for Lola’s birth after Akuna and Kees mated in the early months of 2022. Lola is Akuna’s second foal and staff at the park said “she is once again being a kind and attentive mother”. Now she has settled into her surroundings, Lola shares her home with white rhino, Congo buffalo and antelope.

Head of Wildlife, Angela Potter, said: “Every birth is important, as these zebras are ‘endangered’ in the wild with numbers estimated at around 3,000, with 90% of the population being found in northern Kenya. Threats in the wild include hunting, habitat loss and in recent years severe drought in a range of countries. They are one of Africa’s most endangered large mammals.”

If you’d like to see Lola for yourself, you can visit throughout the Easter holidays, when the park will be offering a whole host of fun events in celebration of their 50th anniversary this year. The zebras can be seen on the Park’s four-mile drive-through safari. For more information, visit the West Midland Safari Park website.