An orphaned zebra is being taken care of by keepers in a very special way- the keepers wear a black and white striped coat. And this, while an interesting way to rear animals up, is also quite necessary in the case of Diria, the zebra in question. As it stands, animal carers usually go to very far lengths to ensure that they can make the animals under their care safe.
An orphaned zebra in the wild
And with the efforts made by the keepers at Tsavo East National Park, this zebra baby has started to feel at home again. The zebra baby has already gone through a lot in his life by now- having lost his mother to a pride of lions, a traumatic experience in his short life.
The orphaned zebra did manage to escape the attack of the lions by hiding near a herd of wild goats. Although the herdsmen initially took care of the zebra, he was soon brought to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Voi Reintegration Unit. By now, the carers have already formulated how to take care of this zebra baby.
Even since he has been here, most of the carers have been spending most of their allotted time with the baby by putting on the striped coat. The Trust did explain in one of their Facebook posts that in the wild, baby zebras usually imprinted on the striped coats of their mothers. Therefore, it was quite important that the keepers create identical striped coats which were then worn by the keepers during zebra duty. This would also help Diria imprint himself on the coats without getting too dependent on any single individual.
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Amie, the representative of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, has already mentioned that this Trust is just a not-for-profit wildlife conservation sector which was also one of the oldest in East Africa. It can’t be hard to see that Diria, the orphaned zebra, would be growing up in a loving and caring environment. Amie also went on to explain how the Trust used innovative and proven solutions to prevent the poaching of wild animals and prevent conflicts between animals and humans. All in all, a noble approach indeed.
The Orphaned Zebra Will Be Growing Up Between Humans
Regarding the orphaned zebra, the Trust further explained that whatever they had on the animal was already published on the Facebook post. Amie mentioned that they didn’t have any further information about Diria, except that a list of experienced keepers was caring for him. The ‘caring’ involves providing milk feeds, making sure the foal has a place to sleep at night and a protective presence throughout the day.
Unsurprisingly, the orphaned zebra is growing up exceedingly well with all the attention, love, and care. Several sources have mentioned that Diria can often be seen in the company of his caretakers, enjoying the affection. Rob Brandford, the Executive Director of the Trust has mentioned that Diria is quite affectionate with his keepers and absolutely loves nuzzling into them while they are busy grooming him.
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It has been reported that Sheldrick Wildlife Trust will be caring about the orphaned zebra until he is old enough to get back into the wilder sections of the wildlife population. Currently, it is the duty of the Trust to make sure this orphan survives the growing years of his life without his mother. While it will be quite a strenuous procedure for Diria, his carers will ensure he survives.
So, all hope is not lost when it comes to the relationships between animals and humans. There are people out there who care for them as much as their fellow humans.
