ROYAL OAK, MI – He’s a couple months old, but the public can finally get a look at the Detroit Zoo’s baby zebra. Enzi, which is Swahili for “era” or “reign”, was born just after midnight on Jan. 1, but due to the cold weather, he’d been kept inside.
On days warmer than 50 degrees, the endangered male Grevy’s zebra can be seen outdoors with the herd.The Grevy’s zebra is the largest of zebra species. Adults weigh in at anywhere between 800 and 1,000 pounds. Enzi is the second foal for 23-year-old mother Elvira, and 14-year-old father Z.Z. He’s the fifth zebra in the Detroit Zoo herd.
“Enzi is doing very well and is full of energy,” said Scott Carter, Detroit Zoological Society chief life sciences officer. “Typical of zebra foals his age, he’s never far from his mom. Elvira is an experienced mother and is doing a great job raising her little one.” According to the Detroit Zoo, zebras are born with brown stripes that darken to black as they get older. Every zebra has a unique stripe pattern. Enzi’s species is names after Jules Grevy, the former president of the French Republic. Grevy had once received the zebra as a gift.