Imara: Slow and steady, he wins the race

Kate R.
May 8, 2024

During the Hoofstock team’s last Keeper Stories blog in February, we introduced Imara, the zoo’s new female plains zebra. She’s come a long way since serving her standard 30-day quarantine period. She is a much more cautious animal than the zoo’s male zebra, Wembe, so she went through the introduction process at her own pace, which was much slower. She was first introduced to her behind-the-scenes corral space, as well as the stalls and corrals where Wembe lives, while Wembe was searching for habitat. Once she felt comfortable in all these new spaces, we physically introduced her to Wembe, where they shared the same space for the first time, under the close supervision of the care team. The presentations with Wembe went well. At first he was more interested in the hay on her side of the barn, which came from the exact same bale as his hay, then after he had eaten his fill, he turned his attention to her. At first, she distanced herself from him when he approached to investigate her, but before long, they established their boundaries and have been able to cohabit together ever since.

Then came the time to introduce him to the mixed habitat of the species of the African savannah. First with Wembe only, then with the other inhabitants of the habitat, the giraffes and the ostriches. Imara has once again taken a very cautious approach to the new habitat. After five days of introductory time, during which she and Wembe could walk back and forth from the barn to the habitat, she decided that the habitat was actually quite nice. Then we introduced the ostriches to him and Wembe, which went quite well. We are currently about to introduce her to giraffes, and as of this writing she has decided that giraffes are very big and very scary. So she quickly retreats to her corral and barn, behind the scenes. We will continue the introduction process at their own pace, gradually allowing them to spend time together in the habitat. Each animal is unique and should be able to progress at its own pace and comfort level. It is very important not to rush these introductions, as this can be very stressful and dangerous for all animals involved. Slowly but surely, we are succeeding. We know that over time she will understand that giraffes and ostriches are good neighbors.

Kate R.
Senior Keeper, Hoofstock