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Mother zebra gives birth Christmas morning to little foal in Arizona

The Tucson zoo got a special present Monday morning after its resident zebra gave birth to a healthy foal.

TUCSON, Ariz. — A special gift arrived Christmas morning at Tucson's Reid Park Zoo after a mother zebra gave birth to a healthy female foal. 

Anna the zebra gave birth to another foal on Dec. 25 and both the mother and baby appear to be doing well, zoo officials said.

“The foal is very steady on her feet and has been busy exploring her new home at mom’s side,” said Adam Ramsey, the Zoo’s director of animal care.

Reid Park will soon be hosting a contest that will determine the name of Anna's new baby.

Anna and her foal are Grevy's zebras, a species of zebra that's considered one of the most endangered in the wild. Habitat loss has reportedly resulted in the Grevy's zebra population dropping by 54% over the last three generations, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.

Credit: Reid Park Zoo

Anna and her partner Ben are part of a cooperative effort to ensure a more viable zebra population for the future. The pair have now produced three offspring.

Zoo officials will be closely monitoring Anna and her foal over the next few weeks.

   

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