African Wild Ass Born in Israel

Today about 150 individual wild asses are living in selected zoos around the world. The Basel Zoo in Switzerland has a leading breeding program for the wild ass, and so far, 36 have been born in the Swiss zoo since the breeding program started in 1970. The zoo manages the European stud book [for the African wild ass] and coordinates the effort to save these animals. All European and American wild asses are either descendants of the original group at the Basel Zoo or of 12 other animals that came from the Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Israel in the 1970s.