The National Zoo in Canberra has welcomed a newborn zebra foal. The as-yet unnamed foal is part of an international insurance population for the species.
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00:00 Cute, stripy and new to the capital, this two day old zebra foal is up, walking about
00:09 and showing off to visitors.
00:11 And like most babies, life is made up of sleeping, eating and annoying its family.
00:17 Definitely a bit cheeky.
00:18 Normally the foals try and stay really close to mum and mum is really protective but this
00:21 foal is more than happy to go and annoy its big brothers and dad, which is yeah, funny
00:26 to watch.
00:27 After a 12 month pregnancy, its mother is still very protective over her new baby.
00:32 The foal weighed in at 40 kilograms but zookeepers say it's too early to determine its gender.
00:39 Part of the zoo's breeding program, this little zebra is already a clear cut champion in black
00:44 and white.
00:45 We've been a part of the breeding program for at least 10 years, potentially longer
00:49 and yeah, having those 27 foals has been fantastic for the breeding program in Australia.
00:54 And those foals have been able to go off to other zoos all around the country.
00:58 As soon as that little foal hit the ground, it's going to be an ambassador for its species
01:03 here in captivity and for those out in the wild as well.
01:07 The foal will be a draw card for visitors and could provide protection for its entire
01:11 species too.
01:12 If we can bring those animals numbers up in captivity, we then have that insurance population.
01:18 If something happens in the wild, the eventual goal is to be able to release those animals
01:23 back into their natural habitats.
01:25 It's the 27th zebra born as part of the zoo's captive breeding program.
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