Nature & Environment

Chester Zoo celebrates birth of extremely rare and endangered animal

By T.K. Randall
August 5, 2024 ·  1 comment

Persian onager at Chester Zoo. Image Credit: Facebook / Chester Zoo At a glance, this jovial creature might look a bit like a common donkey, but it is in fact a Persian onager - a relative of the domestic donkey which lives in the semi-desert regions of Iran.

Due to a combination of factors including poaching and climate change, the species is considered endangered with only 600 individuals thought to be left in the wild.

When a Persian onager was recently born at Chester Zoo in England, therefore, it was cause for much celebration.The foal, named Jasper, has been hailed as a step toward helping to repopulate the species.

"We have some amazing news - a special new baby has been born and we couldn't be happier!" zoo officials wrote in a post on Facebook.

"Meet onager foal, Jasper! He doesn't know it, but he's one the rarest animals on the planet as only 600 now remain."



Source: BBC News | Comments (1)

Tags: Endangered