Lincoln Park Zoo Announces Zebra Foal’s Name

Chicago (August 14, 2026) – On June 22, Grevy’s zebra Adia gave birth to a female calf at Lincoln Park Zoo. The newborn has been hitting important milestones and delighting visitors who see her learning to navigate her habitat at the zoo’s South Loop. Now, she’s hitting another big milestone: receiving her name!

The foal has been named Zuri, which means “beautiful” in Swahili. Swahili is one of the official languages of Kenya, which is part of the Grevy’s zebra’s native range.

“Zuri is quite independent and precocious, often venturing from her mother to explore her surroundings,” said Dan Boehm, Lincoln Park Zoo curator. “She is strengthening her long legs with excited bouts of running around the habitat and also enjoys playing with her older sister Yabelo.”

Zuri is easy to spot, with reddish-brown stripes that will only turn black once she is older. She weighed an estimated 100 pounds and will grow to be around 850 pounds in adulthood. While the foal was able to run just an hour after birth, she will remain dependent on her mother for the first seven months.

Grevy’s zebras are an endangered species with a native range spanning Ethiopia and Kenya. Habitat loss and hunting have caused the species’ population to dwindle to just 2,000 Grevy’s zebras in the wild. They are the largest of the three zebra species and have around 80 stripes in total across their body. Their large eyes provide a wide field of vision. This allows them to spot predators in the open scrub and grasslands of their native range while they spend about 60% of the day grazing.

Those interested in helping care for Adia and Zuri all year long may Adopt a zebra at lpzoo.org/adopt or support the zoo at lpzoo.org.

About Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo inspires communities to create environments where wildlife will thrive in our urbanizing world. The zoo is a leader in local and global conservation, animal care and welfare, learning, and science. A historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, the not-for-profit Lincoln Park Zoo is a privately-managed, member-supported organization and is free and open 365 days a year. Visit us at lpzoo.org.

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