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Somali wild ass born at Zoo
By Diane Toroian Keaggy
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/23/2008
The St. Louis Zoo welcomed its first newborn Somali wild ass, an extremely rare wild horse Zoo curators are struggling to save in the desert areas northeastern Africa.
The foul was born earlier this month to mother Fataki and sire Abai and boasts a gray body, white belly and horizontal black stripes on her legs. She will grow to be four feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 600 pounds.
The Zoo is home to seven Somali wild ass; only 27 live in North American zoos. Another 1,000 live in the wild, but they are threatened by the political unrest in the region and hunters, who use their meat for food and native medicines.
They also must compete with domestic livestock for access to shrinking grazing grounds.
By Diane Toroian Keaggy
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/23/2008
The St. Louis Zoo welcomed its first newborn Somali wild ass, an extremely rare wild horse Zoo curators are struggling to save in the desert areas northeastern Africa.
The foul was born earlier this month to mother Fataki and sire Abai and boasts a gray body, white belly and horizontal black stripes on her legs. She will grow to be four feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 600 pounds.
The Zoo is home to seven Somali wild ass; only 27 live in North American zoos. Another 1,000 live in the wild, but they are threatened by the political unrest in the region and hunters, who use their meat for food and native medicines.
They also must compete with domestic livestock for access to shrinking grazing grounds.
OK, this is thoroughly juvenile, but does anyone else find it funny that a wild ass gives birth to a "foul"? I know my ass has given birth to some foul things over the years, but had no idea that concept was embraced by animal naming conventions...
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