Zebras have returned to the Fort Worth Zoo after an absence of five years, zoo staff announced in a news release and on social media Friday.
Visitors to the African Savanna can now see Pegasus and Hercules, two young half-brothers. The species was a fixture at the zoo from 1923 until 2021, when they were moved out to make room for the lion yard in the Predators of Asia and Africa habitat.
Fort Worth Zoo executive director Michael Fouraker said they built a new barn and renovated a rhino habitat to accommodate the two zebras.
“After their departure in 2021, we realized just how much our guests missed their presence in the park,” Fouraker said in the news release. “We knew we needed to find a way to bring them back.”
The African Savanna, which opened in 2018, was phase one of A Wilder Vision, the zoo’s $130 million capital campaign and building project. The next two phases, Elephant Springs and Predators of Asia and Africa, opened in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
The fourth and final phase, Forests and Jungles of the World, is under construction with a targeted opening in 2028, according to the zoo’s website.