Double the Stripes

There’s a new zebra in town at the Houston Zoo! The Grant’s zebra, Rosalita, comes to Houston from Brownsville, TX. Rosalita is nearly one year old and joins the Houston Zoo’s 8-year-old female, Kapuki. Guests who formerly spotted stripes at the Zoo in the giraffe habitat can now visit zebras in their new location near the entrance of the African Forest, next to Silas the pygmy hippo.  

There are three species of zebras: Grevy’s, mountain, and plains. Grant’s zebras are the smallest subspecies of plains zebras and have broad, well-defined stripes. They are herbivores, and their diet consists of grasses and hay. Grant’s zebras live in the savannahs of east and south Africa. In the wild, they are listed as near threatened, with populations continue to decrease. The Houston Zoo and its guests are helping to turn this trend around. 

In 2020, the Houston Zoo provided support for 107 illegal wire traps to be removed from areas where wild herds live to protect zebras in Africa. These illegal traps are set in the plains by poachers intending to illegally catch the zebras. The removal of these wire traps provides a safe place for wild zebras to roam. 

When guests visit the Houston Zoo to see zebras Kapuki and Rosalita, they also help save wild zebras in Africa. A portion of every Zoo admission ticket and membership directly supports wildlife-saving efforts around the world.