And finally ... celebrating the birth of Luujin, a Przewalski's foal
World’s last ‘wild’ horse foal born at Whipsnade Zoo - Whipsnade Zoo
Zookeepers are celebrating the birth of an endangered Przewalski's foal at Whipsnade Zoo - the world’s last “truly wild” species of horse.
The pointy-eared foal was born on 13 April at the conservation zoo, as part of the European Endangered Species Programme for the species, and is just starting to stretch his legs and explore his surroundings.
Keepers had been monitoring the foal’s pregnant mum, Charlotte, and were delighted when she gave birth to the healthy foal in a secluded area of the 600-acre conservation zoo. Eagle-eyed visitors watching from a distance also glimpsed a sneak peek of the wobbling youngster standing up for the first time.
Zookeeper Luke Pharoah said: “Our team filmed the youngster’s first tentative steps moments after being born, which gave us all an immense feeling of hope for this Endangered species.”
Przewalski's horses (Equus przewalskii) were classified as Extinct-in-the-Wild until horses bred at Whipsnade Zoo were successfully reintroduced to Mongolia as part of a collaborative conservation project between Mongolian and UK ZSL scientists to save the species. There are now hundreds of wild Przewalski's horses living in the grasslands and deserts of Mongolia, Ukraine and China, and their population is increasing. As a result of reintroduction projects, the IUCN Red List reclassified the Przewalski's horse as Critically Endangered in 2008, and then again as Endangered in 2011.
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Posted On: 19/04/2023