DELIGHTED keepers at West Midland Safari Park are celebrating after the arrival of its second ever baby Grévy’s zebra born within a month.

The stripy young boy arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning and staff at the Bewdley attraction were overjoyed to see him already steady on his feet within an hour.

He arrived after a 13 month pregnancy to first-time mum Montana and now second time dad Quigley and spent his first day getting used to his surroundings and meeting some of the other animals.

He joins his half-sister Grace, who was born less than three weeks ago on July 26 to mum Akuna and dad Quigley.

Lauren Goodman, African Ungulates Keeper, said: “We were delighted to discover that we had another addition to the Grévy’s zebra family over the weekend.

“He joins his half-sister, Grace, on the African Reserve and both are full of energy whilst exploring their new home. First-time mum, Montana, who came from Poland Zoo, had been looking very uncomfortable over the past few days, but she foaled with no problems at all.”

She added: “This is not only great news for the Park, but also for the Grévy zebra as a species. With only approximately 3,000 left in the wild, they are classified as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

“We will take great pride in watching both of our new additions grow up over the coming months.”

Although the newborn is yet to be named, keepers will be choosing a name beginning with ‘G’, as all babies born at the Park in 2018 will begin with this letter.

Next week, the Park will be dedicating a week to raising awareness for the species.

Running from 18-24 August, Grévy’s Zebra Week will be fundraising for Grévy’s Zebra Trust, who work with communities in Kenya and Ethiopia to engage them in wildlife protection.

People can find out more by visiting: http://www.grevyszebratrust.org.