ORLANDO, Fla. – Walt Disney World on Thursday announced the name of a new Hartmann’s mountain zebra born at Animal Kingdom.
The newest zebra foal has been named Dash, and is now running around the savanna with his mother, Heidi, at the Kilimanjaro Safaris.
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“Dash continues to live up to his name as he exemplifies “dashing” behavior now that he and Mom are back out on the savanna where he is keeping the team on their toes while he zooms around meeting the other zebras in the herd,” Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President of Disney Animals, Science & Environment said in an Instagram posting. “Keepers chose the name Dash because of the foal’s spunky spirit and dash stripe on his left shoulder that is identical to the one on his Mom Heidi.”
Disney announced Dash’s birth last month.
Disney said a Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal will imprint on its mother’s scent and memorize the unique markings on its mother’s hind legs to tell her apart from others in the herd. Disney currently has three types of zebra across its resort including Hartmann’s mountain zebra, Grevy’s zebra and plains zebra.
Dash is the first zebra birth at Animal Kingdom this year.
Disney said he was born as part of the Species Survival Plan program, which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Other animals born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently include Ranger the rhino, Ivy the mandrill and Maple and Zella, two Masai giraffes.
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