The Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Spring 2016 • 23
KIDS FOR CONSERVATION
If a dictionary goes from A to Z,
what goes from Z to A?
A Zebra!
Zebras are amazing animals that
come from Africa and are related to
horses and donkeys.
The Louisville Zoo houses
Hartmann’s mountain zebras in our
Africa area. Mountain zebras are
great climbers with hard and pointed
hooves.
We interviewed Zookeeper Drew
Koch to get the 411 on our zebras at
the Louisville Zoo. Drew cares for the
Louisville Zoo’s five zebras: one male
named Gibbs and four females —
Kindra, Morena, Enid and our newest
addition, Annette.
We asked Drew what he likes
most about the zebras. “The thing
I appreciate most about the zebras
is their toughness. They are very
resilient!” Kindra, our oldest zebra,
is especially tough as far as zebras
go. Zebras in general can be easily
frightened because in nature they
are prey animals and must always be
on guard against predators. Kindra,
however, is personable and calm.
She will even stand on a scale to be
weighed!
How does Drew tell one zebra
from another? They have individual
stripe patterns, just like people have
individual fingerprints! Zookeeper
Drew can easily distinguish the stripes
characteristic of each zebra because
he works with them every day. For
example, the next time you visit the
zebra exhibit, look for the zebra
with bright white stripes — Drew
says that is Morena. You may also
notice Annette, she’s still the smallest
zebra in our group so far. Annette
was just born in May of 2015. “We
are very proud of this birth because
the Hartmann’s mountain zebra
population in nature is declining.
Part of the Louisville Zoo’s mission
is to help species that are in trouble
through special breeding programs.
Helping endangered species is
just one way we create a healthier
planet,” said Drew.
Small steps can make a big
difference for conservation. For
example, the Zebra exhibit has a
newly installed system to provide
constant fresh water for the zebras to
Did You
Know?
In 1984, the Louisville Zoo had a zebra born from
a horse! In May 17, 1984 quarter horse, Kelley, gave
birth to Zebra E.Q., through an embryo transfer. The
birth was the first successful embryo transfer from
an exotic to domestic equine. This zebra birth was an
important step toward preserving endangered species.
drink without any
wasted water. Even
zebra poop doesn’t go
to waste — it is composted along
with other herbivore (plant eaters)
poop to become “ZooPoopyDoo,”a
helpful manure for your garden that
can be purchased during the Zoo’s
spring sale of mulch and compost.
So next time you’re at the Zoo, be
sure to visit our zebras and the other
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