Great Rift Valley Lodge Goes Foal!

On the morning of 9th July 2012, by the second hole on the golf course a zebra foal was born. The zebras were introduced at the Great Rift Valley Lodge four months ago and now we have two mature females, one sub-adult male and one foal.

Zebras have a long gestation period of one year which helps the young one to fully develop in the womb and be able to flee predators a few minutes after birth. The mother eats the afterbirth to avoid attracting predators. However there are no predators at the Great Rift Valley Lodge. A zebra foal identifies its mother by sight. After birth, the mare and the foal spend time away from the herd – the theory is that the foal memorizes his (or her) mother from her stripes. The foal will stay close to the mare for a year.



Report By: Daniel Kilonzo, Resident Naturalist, Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort

Heritage Hotels (Kenya) manages The Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf resort in Naivasha, just an hour an a half's drive from Nairobi. The lodge is famous for one the longest holes in Kenya - the par 5 -  17th ‘signature’ at 598 metres (654 yards)!

 Report and pictures by Daniel Kilonzo, Resident Naturalist at GRVL ©Heritage Hotels Ltd, Kenya.http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/