Rangers Save a Newborn Zebra From Drowning

Rangers with the Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary in South Africa learned that a newborn zebra had slipped into a dam and was in immediate danger of drowning. The team responded quickly, pulling the tiny equine out of the water and onto dry land.

A tiny zebra foal had been found collapsed in a dam. …Petronel, Ryno and ranger Bernardo quickly pulled him out. Although it is summer in Africa, the nights can be surprisingly cool, and lying in the water had left the foal dangerously hypothermic. They started to dry him and wrapped him in towels from the ambulance, then placed a blindfold over his eyes to help keep him calm.

They warmed him up and took him to their ICU, where he was treated for hypothermia and low blood sugar. They also found that his umbilical cord was still attached, but could not immediately find his mother. Once the baby zebra, now known as Piano, had recovered, the team took him to where his herd was located. He called out, and his mother responded instantly, accepting him back into the herd.

The foal was then transported back to the Intensive Protection Zone, close to where his mother had last been seen. To reduce any human scent and improve his chances of being accepted, he was rubbed with zebra dung before we withdrew, leaving one ranger at a distance to monitor the situation. It wasn’t long before the foal began calling and soon his mother and the rest of the herd appeared.

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