Grévy’s Zebra Foal Makes His First Visit to the Veldt

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MELBOURNE, Fla., July 20, 2022 — @BrevZoo's newest Grévy’s zebra has taken his first steps (and a gallop or two) in one of his habitats, the Veldt, in the Zoo’s Expedition Africa section! He will continue making visits under the discretion of the animal care team.

The zebra foal, now named Ziggy, was born on June 30 to 11-year-old Grévy’s zebra Iggy. Animal care staff conducted a neonatal exam later that afternoon and discovered he weighed about 84 pounds.

After sharing that they believed both Iggy and 8-year-old Lauren to be pregnant several months ago, Brevard Zoo’s animal care staff had been monitoring both zebras closely, watching for signs that their babies might arrive soon. They originally thought Iggy would give birth first, but Lauren surprised them when she delivered a baby boy on June 1.

Iggy and her foal remained behind-the-scenes for two weeks to bond. In their natural range, Grévy’s typically separate themselves from their herd after giving birth, and we mimicked this as closely as possible by allowing mom and baby to have isolated bonding time. Lauren and her foal are still primarily living behind the scenes but make the occasional visit to the Expedition Africa veldt as the baby grows more confident.