He was separated from his mama 💔
Late last year, a newborn zebra faced a terrifying fight for survival after tumbling into a dam in a South African Intensive Protection Zone and being unable to climb back out. Weak, cold, and completely alone, the tiny foal was in serious danger until a passerby named Bernardo spotted him and acted fast.
Bernardo immediately reached out to Care for Wild, a nearby wildlife rescue organization, and their team rushed to the scene. By the time rescuers reached the animal, it was clear just how young he was. He was only a few days old, and his umbilical cord was still attached.
The team believed the foal had likely become separated from his mother while the herd came down to drink. Still unsteady on his legs, he appears to have slipped into the water and been unable to get himself back out. After spending so long in the dam, the baby zebra was exhausted and dangerously cold.
Rescuers carefully lifted him from the water, and the little foal instinctively extended his hooves so they could pull him to safety. Once he was out, they rushed him to Care for Wild’s intensive care facility, where they began warming him up right away. He was wrapped in towels from the ambulance, dried off, and even covered with a blindfold to keep him calm during the stressful rescue.
After he had warmed a little, the team gave him warm milk to help raise his blood sugar and treat the shock his little body had suffered. Within a short time, the foal had already begun to perk up.
Once he was stable, the next priority was reuniting him with his family. Using drones, the rescuers searched for the herd and eventually located them after several hours. Before returning the foal, they rubbed zebra dung on him so he would smell more like the herd and less like humans. Then they placed him in a clearing nearby and waited to see what would happen.
It did not take long. As soon as the foal started calling out, his mother and the rest of the herd appeared and quickly moved toward him. The reunion was a huge relief for everyone involved.
Thanks to Bernardo’s quick thinking and the Care for Wild team’s dedication, the tiny zebra survived a dangerous ordeal and was returned to the protection of his mother and herd, where he can now grow up surrounded by his own kind.