OKLAHOMA CITY – A new set of stripes is giving animal lovers something to smile about.
Meet the adorable Astra zebra foal, who is already winning hearts at the zoo.
Astra, a female plains zebra, was born October 19 at Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, according to an October 21 report by the Oklahoma Gazette. The foal weighed about 82 pounds at birth. Her mother is Calypso.
The Gazette reports that Astra joined the zoo’s Expedition Africa herd and that visitors may see the zebras along Predator Pass when weather permits. That is a possibility, not a promise of a sighting.
A little zebra, a big introduction
For children, a new animal can be an invitation to ask questions. Why the stripes? What do zebras eat? How is a zebra different from a horse?
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s zebra guide offers a starting point. Zebras belong to the horse family. There are three living species: plains, mountain and Grevy’s zebras. Plains zebras are the smallest and most abundant of the three.
They eat mainly grasses and live in family groups. Each animal’s stripe pattern is different, which helps researchers recognize individuals. So a herd may look like a moving sea of stripes, but it is made up of distinct animals.
A reason to look a little closer
Astra’s arrival is a cheerful bit of animal news, but it also offers something quieter: a chance to slow down and notice another living creature beginning its life.
You do not have to be planning a trip to Oklahoma to enjoy that. A child’s question about a zebra can lead to a book, a conversation or a closer look at the animals nearby.
For anyone who needed a gentler headline today, a newborn zebra will do nicely.
