A rare wild ass foal was born at the Ramat Gan Safari to Bar and her mate, Judd, during the war. It is the couple’s third offspring — a particularly significant achievement given that this is one of the rarest mammal species in the world and is critically endangered.
The birth occurred slightly earlier than expected, and the staff are now closely monitoring the foal’s condition.
The new wild ass foal
(Video: Nira Tzemach Bar)
According to estimates, only a few hundred wild asses remain in their natural habitat, living in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. In these regions they face hunting, habitat loss and intense competition with livestock for water and food sources.
The wild ass is a small and unique wild horse, considered the ancestor of the domestic donkey. Despite its adaptation to extreme desert conditions, it struggles to survive in the face of these threats, largely due to human activity — including encroachment on its habitat and hunting for food and traditional medicine. All of these continue to shrink the wild population.
The Ramat Gan Safari is part of the European zoo breeding program aimed at preserving this species. Bar and Judd have already contributed two offspring to the program: Beatrice, born in 2019 and now living at a zoo in Berlin, where she has already had a daughter named Judy, after Judy Atar, the safari caretaker who accompanied Beatrice to her new home. The second offspring is a male named Broko, born in 2023, who also was transferred to a zoo in Germany.
The goal of the breeding program is to create a sustainable population with healthy and diverse genetics, serving as a kind of “insurance policy” for the wild population. The pair at the safari are an important part of this effort. The female, Bar, arrived at the safari more than a decade ago from the Hai-Bar Yotvata wildlife reserve, while the male, Judd, was born at the safari in 2013.
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Meaningful moment in a global effort to save a species on the brink of extinction
(Photo: Dana Barda)
“Every birth of a wild ass is far more than a local happy event. It is a meaningful moment in a global effort to save a species on the brink of extinction. The fact that this is already the third offspring of Bar and Judd attests to optimal care conditions and the success of the conservation program. In a complex reality, these are exactly the moments that remind us why this work is so important,” the safari said in a statement.
The foal is currently with its mother in a behind-the-scenes enclosure. It was born with a mild issue in its hind legs, which is being treated by the safari’s veterinary team. The department is monitoring it closely. It is already running and jumping and does not appear to be struggling. Caretakers will continue to follow its development closely in the hope of soon seeing it roaming the wild ass enclosure.
The safari is looking for a name for the foal that begins with the Hebrew letter bet — and the public is invited to help.