Phoenix Zoo With the Public's Assistance Names its Babies

The public voted over the past month and the results are now in: the names for the Phoenix Zoo’s two new Grevy’s zebra foals are “Nabongo” and “Bakari.” Nearly 4,000 people cast their votes since the zebras made their public debut earlier this month.

The two male zebras were born within one week of each other on June 16 and June 23, 2008. The father to both boys has never successfully bred before coming to the Phoenix Zoo.

The public was asked to cast their vote for one of four names that were chosen by the zookeeper staff that care for the zebras. Bakari, which means ‘promising, hopeful and noble’ and Nabongo which means the ‘name of a king passed down from father to son’ were the clear winners in both lists of selections.

“We love these choices and the names are very befitting of both of these beautiful and special animals,” said Phoenix Zoo CEO Bert Castro. “We look forward to watching them grow with the rest of our Zoo guests.”

The babies spent a few weeks off exhibit with their two moms before making their debut to ensure they were strong and healthy. Both are doing very well and weighed just over 100 pounds at birth.

The mother of the first foal born is “Afiya” and she has been at the Zoo since 1997. She has had a total of four babies at the Phoenix Zoo. The mother of the second foal is “Masika” and she has been the mom of three babies since she arrived at the Zoo in 1998. Dad, “Punda,” just arrived at the Zoo last March and has never sired a foal in his sixteen years before coming to Phoenix. Keepers don’t know for certain why he was not able to breed before now, but are most pleased that Phoenix Zoo seems to have suited him!

The Grevy’s zebra is an endangered species, and are bred based on recommendations from a Species Survival Plan for captive animal populations. Breeding recommendations are made by a committee of specialists to produce genetically diverse populations of endangered species.

The Grevy’s zebra is the largest of the zebra species and it is native to southern Ethiopia and northeastern Kenya in Africa. The species is critically endangered due to hunting for their beautiful pelts and competition with domestic livestock. Each zebra does have its own unique set of stripes—like fingerprints. In groups, the black and white stripes can confuse predators as the animals blend together.

Eventually, the baby zebras will grow into adults that weigh around 800 pounds. They can live up to 20 years in the wild and longer in captivity. It’s estimated that only 2,000 wild Grevy’s zebra remain in Africa.
Mom and babies are on exhibit daily until about 2 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends.