Kathrine Alderman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
For those who don't know about The North Florida Wildlife Center (NFWC), located at 1386 Cook Rd. in Lamont, you're missing out on quite a treat. The NFWC, founded and directed by Ryan David Reines, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of all animals, though they deal mostly with threatened species. They are considered a zoological facility, not a zoo, that helps rehabilitate injured animals, fund conservation projects—such as the planting of trees in Madagascar—and breed rare and endangered species.
Recently, the center has acquired a Grant's Zebra, the smallest species of zebra, and is celebrating his six month birthday! The zebra, whose name is Thabo, was born in Florida on an exotic animal ranch, though the species is native to the Serengeti plains or the Masai Mara in Central East Africa and is threatened in the wild.
Thabo came to the center when he was very young, as an orphan. His herd was not the kindest to him and his mother wasn't protective enough so he was separated from them, which allowed the NFWC to acquire Thabo and bring him to a place he would be cared for. They are currently on the search to get him a friend closer to his genus in the form of an animal such as a donkey.
Grant's Zebras are, as mentioned, the smallest species of zebra, but, to be specific, they are much lower, when full-grown, than an average quarter horse ends up being. Zebras, behaviorally, are also very different than horses and have an aggressive nature, though Thabo is very good to his new herd and the people at the NFWC, when he isn't being a moody teenager (as six months puts him around the teenager mark in zebra years).
Some fun facts about Thabo are: When a car begins to pull out of the driveway he will sometimes run along with it as it leaves and his name is Zulu, a South African language. And, for those who are curious, the answer to the age-old question, “are zebras black with white stripes or white with black stripes?” is that, technically, they are black with black and white stripes. A zebra's skin is black, and it grows hair in strips of black and white.
The NFWC is home to around two dozen species and about 80 animals. They are open Wednesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for tours but require a reservation. To reserve a tour you can go online or call the center at (850) 357-0921.
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