Paignton baby born in stable (or similar)

Leila's girl child

Paignton Zoo has an early festive present; a Christmas star in the form of a newborn baby.

A miraculous zebra foal, possibly born in a stable, arrive last month and is the second born in Paignton this year.

Proud parents are eight-year-old mum Leila and five-year-old dad Jabali, who've been residents in Paignton since 2019.

Leila is an Easter European migrant from the Czech Repulic, whilst Jabali is a northerner from Blackpool (zebras are not native to Lancashire, but he was living in the zoo there).

Jabali sleeps around a bit. He fathered Paignton Zoo’s other foal, Tamali, earlier in the year, and exactly five months later welcomed another addition. Someone needs to keep an eye on the philandering father.

Leila's girl child, as yet unnamed, was able to walk and run within a few hours of its birth, meaning that some lucky guests at Paignton Zoo were able to see the her and about on the day she was born. 

Hartmann’s mountain zebras, like those found at Paignton Zoo, are classed as vulnerable on an international red list with fewer than 35,000 mature individuals left in the wild. They have a very small range today, only found on mountains and hills in South Africa, western Namibia and southwestern Angola.

This species is hunted for its skin and meat and is also at risk of a severe decline in the case of drought, like that which decimated the population in the 1980s.

Clare Rugg, head of conservation services at Paignton Zoo, said: “The arrival of a second zebra foal in 2021 is wonderful news for our herd, who are part of an international breeding programme. The pressures of agriculture, hunting and climate change have severely affected the species, so the newest addition is also good news for the population as a whole.”

The foal can be seen alongside her mother Leila in their enclosure opposite the giraffes at Paignton Zoo. She will stick by mum’s side for up to 16 months, with the opportunity of growing up alongside half-sister Tamali.