St. Louis, MO (May 3, 2024) A female Grevy’s zebra foal (pronunciation: Grevy rhymes with Chevy) was born at the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park on April 16, 2024. This foal makes history as the first animal ever born at WildCare Park, the Zoo's safari park under development in north St. Louis County set to open to the public in 2027.
The foal, Roxie, weighed 95.8 pounds at birth. She is doing well and bonding with her mother, Gemma, and another female zebra, Laila, in the Kent Family Conservation and Animal Science Center, a facility within WildCare Park dedicated to sustaining endangered and threatened species.
Roxie’s parents are 7-year-old Gemma and 11-year-old Presley who were originally paired together at the Saint Louis Zoo in Forest Park as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for endangered Grevy’s zebras, a program to manage a genetically healthy population of this species in North American zoos.
Gemma was pregnant when she moved from the Zoo to WildCare Park in September 2023, where she continued her 13-month gestation. The father lives with the zebra herd and can be seen by guests in the Red Rocks area at the Zoo. Male zebras are not involved in rearing offspring.
“This is both a joyful and historic moment for WildCare Park," said Sabarras George, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park Director. "We are thrilled to reach this milestone on the path to building a world-class safari park and conservation center here in St. Louis County.”
“Gemma is a first-time mom and is doing everything right in caring for her newborn. Roxie follows her mom closely, is nursing well and has a lot of energy,” said Martha Fischer, General Curator at WildCare Park.
Grevy’s Zebra Conservation
The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa supports conservation of the Grevy’s zebra and other species in the region. Grevy's zebras are the most endangered species of zebra in the world. Around 2,500 Grevy’s zebras remain in the wild, according to current estimates. At one time, the species was found in all five countries that make up the Horn of Africa, but they remain in only two today: Ethiopia and Kenya, with 90% living in the latter.
This species’ survival is threatened by habitat loss, food competition with livestock, and most recently, drought. The Zoo supports the Grevy’s Zebra Trust — a non-profit organization based in Kenya and the only organization dedicated solely to the conservation of the Grevy’s zebra. The Zoo helped to establish this independent wildlife conservation organization in 2007 to address the urgent need to safeguard the Grevy's zebra from extinction by engaging local communities in its protection.
Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park
Twelve critically endangered addax, three Grevy's zebras and one critically endangered Somali wild ass now reside at WildCare Park, which will open to the public in 2027. These 16 animals live within the Dana Brown Conservation Pasture, a large natural space dedicated for breeding and conservation efforts, which is part of the Kent Family Conservation and Animal Science Center. The species each will have access to 10 acres of pasture once they are fully acclimated.
The adult zebras, one addax and the Somali wild ass came to WildCare Park from the Saint Louis Zoo in Forest Park. Eleven additional addax moved here from other Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoos. When WildCare Park opens to the public, more than 250 animals are expected to be living there. Acquiring animals from other accredited facilities and building appropriate social groups takes time. For the public opening, the focus is on endangered ungulates — hoofed mammals such as Grevy’s zebra, addax, Somali wild ass, giraffe and white rhino — as well as kangaroos, birds and other threatened species.
Over the last two years, activity at WildCare Park has included demolition of a few older buildings, fence installation and grading around the perimeter of the property, restoration of 260 acres from golf course turf to native grasses, removal of honeysuckle and other invasive plant species, construction of barns and a utility building, and renovation of the headquarters building with a new observation deck.
WildCare Park features two different, but complementary components. The first is what the public will experience, a unique outdoor adventure that guides guests on a safari through herds of animals roaming wild over gently rolling grassy meadows and through native forests. The second component is the Kent Family Conservation and Animal Science Center, a dedicated facility within WildCare Park. This area will not be open to the public and is focused on sustaining endangered and threatened species. It was made possible by the generosity of the Jerry and Judy Kent Family. The animals on site now live in the pastures and barns in this area, while the remainder of the barns and pastures are constructed.
For more information on WildCare Park, visit stlzoo.org/wildcarepark.
