Marwell Zoo: Hampshire zoo welcomes birth of rare mammal Critically Endangered African wild ass

The team at the zoo has been overwhelmed with happiness at the birth of a Critically Endangered African wild ass.

The African wild ass foal was born on August 20 and the birth is particularly important because there are fewer than 200 left in the wild.

Native to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, African wild asses are preyed on by African lions and Ethiopian wolves and they have also been hunted by humans for food.

This has resulted in very low numbers of these animals surviving in the wild and the numbers continue to decline.

The new arrival at Marwell is reported to be doing well and can be seen with mother, Nadifa, in the paddock opposite Okapi Playground.

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The father, Lars, has been moved into an enclosure next door to the banteng whilst Nadifa bonds with her new arrival.

Nadifa was born at Marwell Zoo in 2007 and the arrival of her foal is a continuation of Marwell’s commitment to conserving this Critically Endangered species, which they have had at Marwell since 1993.

This is Nadifa’s third foal and Lars has become a father for the fifth time and keepers have confirmed the foal is male but have not given him a name yet.

Darren Ives, Senior Animal Keeper, Hoofstock, said: “The team is very excited after a year-long wait for the foal to be born, and what makes it even more special is we haven’t had an African wild ass foal born at Marwell since 2020.

“The foal has already been seen doing ‘zoomies’ around the paddock and is looking nice and healthy.

“The foal has also caught the attention of the addax (who are also Critically Endangered) in the enclosure next to them as they have been seen watching each other though the fence.”

With so few of these animals left in the wild, it’s more important than ever to ensure there is a healthy, genetically diverse population of African wild asses in zoos as a back up for populations in the wild.

For more information about Marwell Zoo and the animals they have, click here.