Amazed visitors witness rare zebra give birth at Hampshire zoo

A rare zebra foal has been born at a zoo in front of astonished visitors.

The endangered Grevy's zebra gave birth at Marwell Zoo as keepers watched on and answered questions from the public.

Team leader Tim Rowlands said: "We knew Ellen was soon to be expecting so we have been monitoring her and allowing her access to the paddock, and the indoor area.

"Zebras normally like to do their own thing and take themselves away, so giving birth in the middle of the afternoon in front of a crowd of guests isn't common but she wasn't concerned by the interest, and it was a very smooth delivery with the healthy foal arriving in around half an hour."

The Grevy's zebra is one of Africa's rarest large mammals, with fewer than 3,000 individuals left in the wild.

They are found in small, isolated areas of Northern Kenya and Ethiopia.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.