Nadine, a business owner, witnessed the entire ordeal unfold on the S106 in the Kruger National Park.
Zebra shows signs of giving birth
Nadine said they had stopped their vehicle to observe a zebra herd with their 3-year-old daughter. The setting was peaceful and they suddenly realised something special was about to happen.
A female was lying down on the ground. As evident from the tiny legs jutting out from behind her, she was giving birth!
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Female zebras usually separate themselves from the herd and lie down on their side to give birth. However, some mares are capable of foaling while standing.
“Excited to witness a live birth, we watched closely,” said Nadine.
An unexpected rival turns on female zebra
However, the peace of the moment was soon interrupted by an aggressive male stallion which didn’t share in the joy of this moment. He harassed the female which stood to her feet to avoid conflict with him, and then proceeded to chased after her.
All the while, the natural process of birth continued.
The mother gave birth and the tiny zebra lay beside her, vulnerable to the stallions attacks. This should have been a picturesque moment, however, what ensued was heartbreaking.
The stallion turned its aggression from the mother to the newly born foal. It knelt to bite the small animal, to the mother’s distress.
Stallion displays aggression towards zebra foal
At one point, the male zebra lifted the baby into the air with fury. The young zebra could be seen hanging limply from the stallion’s clenched jaws in a scene of utmost horror.
Within just an hour of being born, zebra foals can typically stand and run independently. This one, however, stood no chance against the violent attacks of the male zebra.
The stallion trampled the foal, which at one point lifted its head showing it was alive. However, it soon became completely limp and lifeless.
Life for the young zebra had ended just as soon as it had begun.
Miracle marred by heartache
What should have been the miracle of birth was marred by this act of seemingly senseless aggression.
Although shocking, the behavior shown in the video is well-documented among zebras and has also been observed in domestic horses. The prevailing explanation for this aggression by stallions toward pregnant females and their newborns involves the drive to secure genetic succession.
In the situation depicted, the stallion likely recently took control of the mare’s herd. His immediate goal is to propagate his genes by mating with the newly acquired females. When a mare has a nursing foal, she does not enter oestrus, delaying his breeding opportunities. By killing the foal, the stallion accelerates her return to fertility, increasing his chances of producing offspring.
However, in this silent moment of tragedy, it was sadly the vulnerable foal which fell prey to the stallion’s displays of dominance.