Meet Imara: Female zebra joins Zoo Atlanta’s African Savanna
Imara the plains zebra (Credit: Stephanie Earhart, Zoo Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Zoo Atlanta just announced the newest addition to its animal kingdom.
Meet Imara, the 2-year-old female, plains zebra. Imara is Swahili for "solid" and "strong."
She's new to the city and almost ready mingle. Her care team says she'll have to spend a month in quarantine until she can transition to her home in Zoo Atlanta's African Savanna and meet her zoo mate, Wembe. He arrived in September.
Related: 10 years ago: Escaped Zebra roams interstate in Atlanta
After meeting Wembe, she'll meet a few other animals who live in the savanna, including Calvin and Lennard, the giraffes, and Purple and Orange, the ostriches. It turns out zebras are pretty social creatures with diverse friends.
"Zoo Atlanta is very happy to welcome Imara, particularly as a social companion for Wembe, who joined us in September," said Sam Rivera, DVM, Vice President of Animal Health. "Zebras are icons among African wildlife, with an important story to tell of the interconnectedness of all life on the savanna – and the important ways humans are part of that story."
Entry to Zoo Atlanta requires a ticket. You can find more information on that here.
5 fun facts about plains zebras
- Plains zebras are herbivores
- They can grow to be about the size of a 6-foot man
- On average, plains zebras live for about 25 years
- Plains zebras are on the "near threatened" list with a declining population, meaning they are likely to become vulnerable in the near future
- Some scientists think zebra stripes may be for camouflage, to make it difficult for their predators to single out an individual animal in a running herd
These facts were reported by National Geographic. Learn more about the plains zebra.