Episode 15: Zebras with Andrea Porch

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INTRO (00:00)

*Music – you and me the adventure me and you to the Zoo*

EMILY BISHOP: Hello and welcome to the Sedgwick County ZooCast, where we are inspiring respect and conservation for wildlife and wild places through caring, connecting, and conserving.

I’m your host, Emily Bishop, and today on the ZooCast, we’ll be sitting down with zookeeper Andrea Porch to talk about zebras.

Keep listening to learn about zebra conservation, how to tell the zebras at SCZ apart, and to learn if zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes.

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INTERVIEW WITH ZOOKEEPER ANDREA PORCH // LEARN ABOUT ZEBRAS (00:42)

BISHOP: Thank you so much for joining us today on the ZooCast. So, if just to get started, you could give an introduction, talk about who you are and what you do at SCZ.

ANDREA PORCH: Hi, I’m Andrea and I am one of the Veldt keepers here as Sedgwick County Zoo. I primarily work the Veldt barn routine and that consists of our Grevy’s zebras and our common warthogs.

BISHOP: Yeah. So how did you get started working in the Veldt?

PORCH: I started working here in the Velt in August of 2020. I came from two other facilities, both in Illinois. So, quite the trek over here through Missouri. But yeah…

BISHOP: Can you kind of walk us through what your average day looks like?

PORCH: Yeah, so we get here in the morning and we start just immediately our cleaning routine. So, we start by just trying to get everyone cleaned for the day- stalls clean, animals put onto exhibit for our guests, making sure everyone’s happy and healthy. That’s big bulk of our day is cleaning. So, and then after that we can focus on any projects we have, training, and of course enrichment.

BISHOP: So, for listeners who aren’t familiar with zebras outside of like, the “Madagascar” movies or “Racing Stripes,” how do zebras in real life differ from zebras in fiction?

PORCH: They don’t talk.

BISHOP: Yeah

PORCH: That’s the biggest one is that they don’t talk. But unlike in the movies, like “Racing Stripes,” a lot of people think or seem to have a belief that zebras can be ridden, but they actually are not meant to be ridden. Their backs aren’t evolved like, to allow for a human to ride on them, let alone to carry cargo or saddle them. So yeah, that’s the biggest difference I’d say is that they are not rideable.

BISHOP: Yeah, so you cannot enter the rodeo with your- your Zebra hoping to win.

PORCH: No, no “Racing Stripes” lied to everyone. It’s tragic.

BISHOP: Yeah, that’s disappointing, but it is what it is.

So, Sedgwick County Zoo is home to Grevy’s zebras. Can you talk about how they differ from other species of zebras?

PORCH: Yes. So, Sedgwick County Zoo is home to the Grevy’s zebra. There are three species of zebra, the Grevy’s, the plains, and then mountain zebra. Grevy’s zebra, the largest species of zebra and they are also the most threatened out of the three with fewer than 3,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Noticeably different physical characteristics other than their size, and that they stand much taller than other species of zebra, that their ears are very large, they’re very fluffy too. That’s like their most noticeable trait- I love their ears. It’s like one of my favorite things about them.

They also have this like, black dorsal stripe on their back that differs from other species of zebra. And they also have a brown muzzle compared to other zebras, who do you have a black muzzle. And then their bellies are white, a lot of other zebras have stripes that go and cover their bellies or extend down through, but their bellies actually are white. And you’ll actually see that their stripes kind of end at that bottom of the ribcage. And then their bellies are white. So that’s something that’s very unique.

Their stripes are also a lot more narrow than other species of zebra. Very just narrow and very intricate, is the best way to describe it. If you look at other species of zebra, it’s a little… their stripes are a lot thicker, and there’s fewer of them.

BISHOP: Is there a reason that their tummies are… are white and don’t have the stripes? Or is it just, that’s just how they are?

PORCH: You know, that’s a great question. And I don’t know. It’s not like sharks, you know how it’s like, “oh, in the ocean, you look up and you think it’s the sky.” I have no idea truly why that could be. It’s a great question, though.

BISHOP: Do all the zebras kind of share territory as far as like, they’re found in the same areas? Or are they more geographically dispersed?

PORCH: Yeah, that’s a great question. So, every different species of Zebra has a different niche that they kind of are… I don’t want to say assigned to, but responsible for. So…

BISHOP: We’ll talk more about that later.

PORCH: Yeah

BISHOP: But I just wasn’t sure if they share like, land. If they can be found in the same countries or the same area or if they’re more split. Like some are only found in like northern areas. Some are only found in southern or Eastern areas.

PORCH: Gotcha. Yeah. I’m sure there are some populations that overlap here and there. But because they all have those different niches like I was saying earlier, they probably aren’t too, you know, likely to be found together.

BISHOP: Yeah. Okay.

Two zebras call SCZ home. Can you tell us about them?

PORCH: Yes, this is my favorite part I was waiting to get to this.

So, we have two female zebras here as Sedgwick County Zoo, like we were talking about, they’re both Grevy’s zebras, and they’re actually both four years old, and they’ll turn five this July. So, they have been here at SCZ since October of 2020. And they were moved here on an SSP recommendation from Zoo Miami.

If listeners don’t know about the SSP yet from our past ZooCast podcasts, then it’s basically, the SSP is  kind of like a match.com dating system for animals. So, they weren’t here moved here on a breeding recommendation. But we were looking for some zebras and they had some extra ones. And they were like, “they would make great exhibit animals at SCZ.” So, they moved here. And they’ve been here ever since. And they are really incredible animals. So yeah…

BISHOP: Yeah. Did you say what… what year did they come here?

PORCH: Yeah, they came here in October of 2020

BISHOP: 2020. So they haven’t been here very long. About three, three years.

PORCH: Three and a half years or so. Yeah.

BISHOP: So, they were pretty young when they came in if they’re turning five later this year.

PORCH: Yeah. So, foals will typically leave mom at about one and a half to two years old. That’s pretty typical. They’re eating on their own and drinking water on their own. So, they can hang out with mom. Typically, in the wild, you’ll see them kind of, you know, stay in their herds and hang out. But it’s also not uncommon for you know, them to kind of leave and go to different herds. So yeah…

BISHOP: Yeah. So, they’re self-sufficient at that age.

PORCH: Yes.

BISHOP: Did you… Did you mention what their names are?

PORCH: Yes. So, we have Honey. Honey is a very- she’s a very smart animal. She really enjoys a good challenge. She excels at training and she seems to really favor enrichments- enrichments that are puzzle based. So, we have like some Culligan water jugs with holes in it. And then we have like, Nose-It treat balls. If anyone has horses, they’ll immediately know what those are. They love those as well. And then we filled them with an appropriate amount of Apple wafers, alfalfa cubes, or even some of their favorite fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, sweet potato, and they’ll… you’ll oftentimes see and bopping them around with their nose. Sometimes they’ll kick them with their front feet and just kind of have a good time with it. So, she seems to really enjoy those.

Louise on the other hand, she’s very athletic, very energetic, very boisterous, loves to keep Honey on her toes. If you ever are at SCZ and you see them kind of running around the yard, I can almost guarantee that Louise is the one that started it because she is- just loves to get things going. She’s very motivated to train and she’s well-known for- I any of the vet staff is listening to this, she does these really cute little stomps after she like, completes a behavior. She seems very proud of herself afterwards it’s really funny. Very enjoyable to watch. She’s usually like I said, the instigator of play, and oftentimes can be seen mouthing Honey and trying to get her to play as well, so…

BISHOP: Yeah. Can you talk a bit about some of the behaviors that you train within the zebras?

PORCH: Yeah. So, because they’re the largest species of zebra, and we’re trying to move towards modern day being able to work voluntarily on a lot of our hoof stocks’ hooves, we are working towards that goal. So that requires us to be able to touch them and desensitize them to a lot of different touching. So, our girls are pretty good at allowing me to put my hands on them and touch them kind of from about like where their ear is all the way down to their hoof. So, I can touch all of that. They will do voluntary injections. So, their yearly injections- rabies and West Nile, that’s all done voluntarily.

So, we can do all that voluntarily. They just present their like kind of like their shoulder and neck for it. We could do shoulder or neck and then Louise actually is trained for like a hip one too. So, she’ll present her hip. We’re working on blood draws right now. So that’s really exciting. Our vet team is really great about making time to come down and be a part of that and be a familiar face for them. So, shout out to them. I definitely appreciate it.

BISHOP: I know you said the Grevy zebra is the biggest species. How big are they?

PORCH: So, our girls range in weights. It kind of varies throughout the seasons. Obviously, just like you know, anyone else, I eat a little bit more sweets when it’s colder outside. So just like our girls, they gain little bit, a little bit more weight. So, in the wintertime when they’re in a little bit more, so they range anywhere from like 800-900 pounds give or take on the season.

BISHOP: Are our zebras measured… I know that like, horses are measured by like, hands.

PORCH: Yes.

BISHOP: Are zebras measured the same way?

PORCH: No, no, not really. We’ve never tried to like measure their, like height. So, we just go by weight. And that’s the most accurate thing for us and for our vet staff too. If we ever have to put them under anesthesia or deliver medications to them, knowing their weight is really helpful. So that’s the only thing that we really look for. Obviously, if we ever had a calf or something and they didn’t seem like they were progressing that it would be something to consider- can we measure this animal. But we’ve never ran into that issue.

BISHOP: Do you have any tips and tricks for guests coming to visit SCZ to be able to tell Honey and Louise apart?

PORCH: Yes. So, Honey is- I most commonly described her as she seems a little just a tad bit shorter than Louise and kind of stockier. A little bit shorter and stockier, a little bit rounder too. And then Louise is more like, legs. And she’s just all legs and she’s kind of taller. And like I was mentioning earlier, she’s- Louise is normally the one kind of pestering Honey, trying to get her to play. But otherwise, Louise does have a pretty long brown stripe extending up her muzzle. Earlier I mentioned how their muzzles are brown. So that brown stripe just extends up. And that’s probably one of the easiest ways. Whenever a new employee starts or someone just wants to know how to tell them apart- a guest. That’s the number one thing I tell them is look for that brown stripe that extends up and that is Louise. And then Honey is the other one.

BISHOP: So, our zebras can be found at the African Veldt habitat. But what is a zebra’s habitat like in the wild?

PORCH: The habitat in the wild looks very arid. So very dry, only receives little precipitation, also can be semi-arid. So, they receive a little bit more than a little precipitation. But that is what their habitat looks like in the wild.

BISHOP: And they’re found just in Africa.

PORCH: Yes, just in Africa. So, they weren’t… they were once widely found across the Horn of Africa. But now unfortunately, they are reduced to central northern Kenya and southern and northeastern Ethiopia. So yeah, that’s where they’re mostly found.

BISHOP: What ecological niche are they fulfilling in their environment?

PORCH: So, the Grevy’s zebra occupy the niche between the water dependent plains zebra and the arid adapted, wild ass. Living in arid and semi-arid habitat comprised of grass and shrub land with permanent water available.

BISHOP: Can you elaborate a little bit more on what that means?

PORCH: So, the Grevy’s zebra actually can go about five days without water. So, the water dependent plains zebra, they need water and depend on water and are commonly found around water. And then more arid adapted animals like the wild ass, they’re more used to very dry climate where there might be less like, grasses and shrubbery to graze on, so they kind of meet that niche in between.

So, they can go longer without water. And they also actually, and I’ve recently found this out too, is that they’ll actually be kind of like browser sometimes. So, when we think of the zebra in general, we think of grazers just like horses, but they have actually started to become kind of browsers. So they’ll browse sometimes. But primarily they want to graze, that’s what zebras do, but they’ll actually browse too, so that’s kind of what we’re talking about when they are kind of like, meeting in between that water dependent plains zebra and then that arid adapted wild ass.

BISHOP: So, they kind of… their role is to help keep like, the grass a little shorter, the brows a little cut back.

PORCH: Yeah, yeah.

BISHOP: Yeah. Can you talk about zebra conservation efforts?

PORCH: I would love to; this is my favorite part.

So, here at SCZ, we support the Grevy’s Zebra Trust. And like I’ve mentioned earlier on, sadly, there’s only an estimated of about 3,000 or fewer Grevy’s zebras remaining in the wild. This species has actually undergone one of the most substantial reductions of range of any African mammal. Their numbers in the 1970s rapidly declined, actually due to hunting for their skins. And then in 1977, there was a total hunting ban that went into effect due to their declining numbers. So, I think that goes to show in just seven years, how much devastation the species we saw happening to them where a total ban had to go into effect.

And like a lot of other animals that struggle in Africa, poaching is still an issue. A lot of people desire their skins. Like I was talking about earlier, they have very narrow stripes, very unique. And unfortunately their skins are still popular.

But other than that one of the biggest things and a new threat that’s has arisen is habitat degradation leading to competition with livestock for resources. The reduction in water and restricted access, and then infrastructure. Infrastructure development across the landscape. And then of course disease.

So, the biggest thing with the Grevy’s Zebra Trust is they are working to do supplemental feedings and waterings. So, Grevy’s zebras have been documented to actually start dig- digging for water. So, they’ll use their hooves to dig to try to find water-water sources, they’ll dig to try to find that. So, the Grevy’s progress will go out and they’ll start digging and trying to fill some… some, like wallow areas for them to drink. They’ll do supplemental hay feedings and stuff like that too to try to give them some additional resources so that these numbers can be boosted. Because without water, that’s the first thing you’ll, you know, succumb to is lack of water. And even though they can go five days without water, a lactating mom, that can be really devastating.

BISHOP: Yeah. Just because they can go awhile without water doesn’t mean they should.

PORCH: Yes, exactly.

BISHOP: Yeah. If listeners wanted to get involved with Zebra conservation, what could they do?

PORCH: Definitely, I always tell people to check out the Grevy’s Zebra Trust. Like with a lot of conservation organizations, monetary donations, always help to provide the struggling populations with supplemental feedings and waterings, supplies, additional resources to be able to do the things that they do. But if you’re actually interested in doing any hands-on work, the Great Grevy’s Rally is an opportunity for people to become a citizen scientist and go out into the field and actually help collect data on these endangered equine. So, to expand on that a little bit, you go all the way to Africa, and you kind of are alongside their team, we’ve had a couple of our- one of our staff members go out there one time and help them out. And it’s pretty, pretty incredible what they do.

So, they basically go out and just have people take photos of the right side of the zebra because like every single zebra, like a person, we don’t have the same thumbprint. And same with zebras, they don’t have the same stripe pattern. So, they can identify these animals and say, you know, “we haven’t seen this animal for several years now. Or this is a new animal. So maybe this was an animal that was born, you know, in between the two years that we do this.”

So, it’s a really unique opportunity to be involved hands-on with a conservation organization and you don’t need any special qualifications to go and do it. You can reach out to them and schedule it. We just hope and keep our fingers crossed that their numbers are going up.

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LEARN ABOUT WINTER WEDNESDAY (17:42)

BISHOP: We’ll be back in a moment to learn more about zebras. But first, let’s hear about how you can save money when you visit the Zoo.

Every Wednesday from November through February enjoy Winter Wednesdays at the Zoo. Admission is discounted all day.

Maybe watch your favorite animals frolic in the snow, step into the Tropics Building to warm up, or sip on a cup of cocoa from the Beastro.  Additional information can be found at scz.org

Bundle up and come on down to the Sedgwick County Zoo for a Wild Winter Wednesday.

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ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE (18:23)

BISHOP: Now, we have some questions from the audience. And these questions are all submitted to us through our Instagram- @SedgwickCountyZoo

@JJean2Lip asks, “are zebras typically friendly and approachable animals?”

PORCH: If you were to go out into the wild in Africa, I would probably say no. Just like a lot of our animals here and being in human care, and managed care. They’re very used to us. Our girls, when they first came in, were very cautious of us. But now that they’re, you know, under a really good training program and are exposed to us all the time. They see us coming from a mile away and they’ll approach the fence line.

Of course, like we like to tell everyone if you ever have the opportunity and you’re ever so lucky to see a zebra out in the wild, please don’t go chasing them around or trying to approach them. They will not like that.

But yeah, definitely. Our girls here they’re very approachable. Sometimes, you know, something random will spook them. We’ll be like, “what was that, like the wind blow a certain way?” And they just take off. But for the most part they stick around. They like to see what’s going on and kind of keep an eye on things.

BISHOP: @Brooklynn_Black_ asks, “are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?”

PORCH: This is such a good question. And actually, my coworkers and I were joking that this would be a question that would be asked.

BISHOP: And what do you know, here we are.

PORCH: And the consensus that everyone comes to and that with the Grevy’s zebra especially, how I was talking about those white underbellies is, we’re gonna go white with black stripes because of that.

BISHOP: Yeah, that makes sense. You know, they have the white tummies.

PORCH: Yeah.

BISHOP: Black stripes.

PORCH: I have no scientific research. That’s just what I’m going with.

BISHOP: It’s… you- you’re the expert, I believe you.

PORCH: It makes sense.

BISHOP: Yeah.

@FalKYoursElf asks, “are they born with stripes?”

PORCH: They are. Yes. So, they are born with their stripes. As they grow, they just kind of grow with them. So, they are born with their stripes.

BISHOP: Yeah, so they have the same stripe pattern their whole life.

PORCH: Yeah. So yeah. So, they’re not a Dalmatian. They won’t grow into their grow into their stripes, and they’ll change. So they’re kind of born with the same. But as they grow obviously those… because I said they’re so narrowed sometimes, like you can’t just tell. But yeah, so they’ll just grow into those stripes. They don’t end up getting stripes later on in life or anything. Sometimes we’ve noticed, like in our older females, their stripes end up looking more of like a brownish color as they age, but they never actually changed in like, where the stripes are.

BISHOP: @MonsterJamZacharyAllen wants to know, “how long have you had zebras at the Zoo?”

PORCH: That is a great question. As far back as I’ve looked, we’ve kind of always had zebras. Back when like the Veldt first open, there’s like early pictures of zebras. I don’t believe they were Grevy’s, I want to say there were plains zebras, which was a very common species of zebra to have very early on in Zoos. But we’ve been a part of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, and we’ve had Grevy’s zebras for quite a while now. I couldn’t actually put a date on it, unfortunately. But we used to breed zebras here. We had a male at one point. But since… we’ve since moved on from that and so now we just house females. And yeah, so we’ve been had quite the amount of zebras here.

BISHOP: Yeah, at least since like the 70s.

PORCH: Yeah.

BISHOP: So, @BizSnype asks, “can you shoe a zebra, like you do a horse?”

PORCH: That is a good question. So short answer, yes, but only in like, extreme circumstances. So, if we had a zebra that had really bad hoof problems, we could look into that. Like there are some giraffes that have been shoed before, not like the traditional like, iron horse shoe. But yeah, so I mean, it could be a possibility.

I mean, the biggest thing is like white line with zebras sometimes, but those are things that you can manage through voluntary hoof trims and just regular hoof trims in general, but I’ve never heard of it. It’s definitely something now that I kind of want to look into.

BISHOP: Yeah, I mean, they are hoof… hoof stock, so maybe

PORCH: Yeah.

BISHOP: And finally, @LiberalBias, asks, “what purpose do their stripes serve? Are they decorative? Or do they help them hide in their native habitat?”

PORCH: Yeah, that’s a great question. So, zebra, like a lot of hoof stock, are herd animals, so you’re gonna see them in groups of, at least 20 plus out in Africa. And those stripes when they’re in a big cluster group like that, if any prey animals are kind of looking for a snack, so they’ll see like, they’ll see a zebra, but those stripes kind of like cause disorientation. So, they can’t actually pick one zebra and go for it because they’re kind of all over. So, you know, zebras are very smart. And they’ll usually be on their tippy toes, I’m sure out in Africa, they- they are here too.

So, when they start moving like that at fast speeds, and they’re in large groups, it can be very hard for a predator to tell one zebra from the other because it’s just such a large move- a group of these moving stripes just kind of going all around. So yeah, they do serve a purpose. It’s mostly to try to avoid predators. Especially this little calf’s too, little foals. You don’t want to see those… those guys get eaten at all.

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LEARN ABOUT ZOO MEMBERSHIP (23:53)

BISHOP: Before Andrea and I finish our conversation about zebras. Let’s hear how you can experience more perks when you visit the Zoo.

Where can you find lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my? At the Sedgwick County Zoo, of course.

Feed a giraffe, ride a train, and learn all about your favorite animal. And Zoo Members get to experience even more fun. For as low as $85 per person, you get to experience unlimited visits to the Zoo, early entry, discounts on special events, and early access to the Sedgwick County ZooCast.

Become a member today. Visit scz.org/membership for more information.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS ON ZEBRAS (24:38)

BISHOP: So, as an ending note, I just have a few more questions.

PORCH: Yeah, definitely.

BISHOP: What question are you asked the most by guests about the zebras?

PORCH: I think we already covered it. Mostly it’s are they white with black stripes or black with white stripes? That’s, you know, one of the most common ones that guests love to ask, which I don’t, I don’t blame them. Usually, you know, we would go to an expert for that and so, people stop us and ask, “what are they,” and so that’s a… that’s a good one.

Also, just how to tell them apart. So, like I mentioned, Honey- shorter, slightly stockier than Louise. And then Louise has that brown stripe extending up her muzzle.

BISHOP: So, what is your favorite thing about zebras?

PORCH: I love how unique their stripes are. It’s, it’s really interesting when you look and like spend a while staring at them. And you notice all these little intricate little things and like dots that they have, because our girls, throughout their body just in really tiny spots, they have like little white dots in their black stripe. It’s like, pretty cute looks like a little polka dot. And then like, they’re just really unique, just like human fingerprints, so zebra stripes are alike.

BISHOP: And what is your favorite thing about working with zebras?

PORCH: They have surprisingly a lot of personality. Having known our two girls since October of 2020 when they came here, it’s been a huge honor to watch them grow and excel not only at training, but just like as individuals overall. To build a relationship with them and to be someone who cares for them every day is an honor that is indescribable and they are my best friends here at Sedgwick County Zoo and I love him with all my heart.

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OUTRO (26:16)

BISHOP: Thanks for listening to the Sedgwick County ZooCast.

This podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the Kiowa, Osage, Wichita, and Ute people, who have been stewards of the land since time immemorial.

This episode was researched, written and produced by me, Emily Bishop.

We’d like to give a special thank you to Andrea Porch for sitting down and talking with us about zebras.

Thank you to the Sedgwick County Zoo’s Marketing and Communication team. And a special thank you to our Zoo Members, whose support makes this podcast possible. If you’re interested in becoming a Zoo Member, visit scz.org/membership.

Be sure to give us a follow so you never miss when we upload new episodes.

Thanks again for listening. Until next time, I’m Emily Bishop and this has been the Sedgwick County ZooCast.