Two zebras join Tasmania Zoo (23/5/2024)

Tasmania Zoo has welcomed two new faces in zebras Atreyu and Zia. Video by Aaron Smith (23/5/2024)

Transcript

00:00 We've just recently had two zebras arrive here at Tasmania Zoo.

00:04 So they're the first zebras we've ever had here and hopefully going to be our breeding pair.

00:09 Atreyu came from Werribee Zoo in Victoria. He's been in a couple zoos previously as a breeding

00:14 stallion so plenty of experience and then Zia has come from Darlingtown Zoo and she's never bred

00:19 before so hopefully it will be first time pairing and he will show the ropes. So these guys are here

00:25 as part of an Australasian managed breeding program and we were asked to set up a new breeding herd

00:30 here. So it's all been quite successful so far we've already seen plenty of mating with Atreyu

00:35 being an experienced stallion he kind of got in straight away and did what he needed to do so

00:40 hopefully about a year away from now we'll have some babies here as part of that breeding program

00:45 which will be awesome. So the plan is that this will be the basis of what will hopefully become

00:50 a decent size herd. We'll breed up the numbers and maybe down the track look at swapping out

00:54 Atreyu to mix up genetics but yeah the plan is to build up a herd. Yeah so they should get along

01:00 really well with the giraffe so we haven't quite introduced them just yet just letting the zebra

01:06 settle in into their new environment but giraffes are usually not very curious they'll come over

01:13 have a look and then once they realize that they're just zebras they're going to get bored of

01:16 them pretty quickly I reckon. I think a lot of people want to come out and see a zebra so hopefully

01:20 they'll be a good draw card for us. Not many people in Launceston have seen zebras around

01:26 the area so hopefully this will be a nice new attraction for the zoo.

01:30 you

01:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]