Zoe celebrates the birth of a rare Przewalski foal that had previously been extinct in the wild for nearly 40 years.
The male foal was born to parents Nogger and Speranzer on May 28 at Marwell Zoo near Winchester, Hampshire.
It is named Basil after the first male Przewalski horse to ever live in the zoo.
Keepers report that the new young stays close to its mother and that the females of the herd are protective
Basil senior was born in 1963 and joined Marwell in 1970 prior to the zoo opening in 1972, before moving to San Diego Zoo.
The naming of the new foal is a nod to Marwell’s 50th anniversary, which the zoo is celebrating this year.
A zoo spokeswoman said: “Holders report that the new young stay close to its mother and that the females of the herd are protective.
“The male foal will become an important part of the European ex-situ breeding program.”
Przewalski’s foals weigh between 25 and 30 kg at birth. They can stand and walk within an hour of birth and can begin grazing within a few weeks.
Przewalski’s horses are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with populations increasing thanks to breeding programs in zoos.
In the mid-18th century, wild Przewalski horses are said to have been found from the Russian steppes in the east to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northern China.