The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 10

A 10 THE COURIER-JOURNAL, FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1984 'Surrogate mother' horse gives birth to zebra in Shelby County M.MIMUM By CHERYL DEVALL 1 4 4 Kelly, a 26-year-old buckskin mare, didn't cleaned off the baby zebra after the birth, stray far from her surrogate child as an en- The mare gave birth on a farm east of Louis-tourage of veterinarians and assistants ville yesterday. Veterinarian Jack Easley kept the zebra's breathing passages clear during the birth. The zebra embryo was implanted a year ago Wednesday. Cirlr-Jurnal Staff Writer It was birth, all right, with all the attendant mess and struggle. But the first glimpse of the little striped zebra emerging from the horse's womb fascinated even the squeamish.

Veterinarians who aided the delivery yesterday whooped with Joy it was the first time that a horse was used successfully as a "surrogate mother" for a zebra. The unprecedented foaling took place shortly after 8 a.m. on a farm in Shelby County. Both the male zebra foal and the mare are in good condition after the delivery, which took place 366 days after veterinarians artificially impregnated the horse with a zebra embryo. Hours after their efforts bore fruit, Louisville Zoo officials shared their excitement with the world.

During a press conference at the zoo, veterinarians Scott Bennett and William Foster said the birth may hold great promise for the preservation of rare animals. "If we develop this technique, (we hope) it will be a tool that other zoos and conservation groups can use," said Foster, staff veterinarian at the zoo. The baby zebra and its surrogate mother, a 26-year-old quarter horse named Kelly, will be monitored for the next few days. If all goes well, officials hope to display them at the zoo in about a week. "The first 24 to 48 hours are a very critical time in the life of the foal," Foster said.

"We're optimistic, but cautiously so." Bennett said Kelly was chosen because she had demonstrated admirable maternal qualities in the past. The mare, owned by Embry and Noreen Rucker of Prospect, "produces good milk and has shown extreme fertility throughout her life," the veterinarian said. Shortly after the birth, the mare began treating the foal as one of her own licking it and imprinting it with her scent. But, within the first two days, the vets must ensure that Kelly and the foal will be compatible in other ways. They will test the mare's milk and match tissue and blood samples with the colt's.

And Kelly must continue to act like a mother early in the colt's life, or chances are she will reject it The long gestation period about a month past the usual 11 months for horses already has caused veterinarians to wonder. At about 65 pounds, the zebra is two-thirds the size of a normal horse foal. Veterinarians became worried about the collection of potentially toxic fluids in the uterus and decided to extract the foal. Video cameras recorded the caution and exhilaration that surrounded the birth. As Mrs.

Rucker, several attendants and journalists stood by the sedated mare, Bennett dilated its cervix with a gloved hand and adjusted the position of the foal, which had become twisted in the birth canal. A few tense moments passed before the water broke and a tiny hoof became visible. Using chains and a snare, the veterinarians tugged gently but firmly on one foreleg and then the other. The head pushed through. "It has stripes!" Bennett cried, i wwwnF1 ii iw 1 I Wk.

Zh, ft 1 JT 1 1 if ii.tll!Ml-i. -l- 1 If I 1 Veterinarian's assistant Terry McDaniel carried the new zebra back to the stall, above, as lab technician Scooter Sheehan followed with Kelly the mare. Back in the stall, Kelly kept a watchful eye on the baby zebra as it tried out its legs. and everyone laughed and cheered. Within moments, the foal was free from the mare and the cord was cut Kelly leaned over to sniff the zebra, which stood up less than half an hour after it was born.

At the press conference, Foster said the foaling raises more questions than it answers. "We want to be very careful about the technique before it's used on endangered species," said Bennett, who works with Equine Services of Simpsonville. Because zebras are wild and therefore hard to keep still embryo transplants into domesticated horses allow better tracking of the pregnancy, he said. Bennett added that in the future it may even be possible to freeze zebra embryos and transport them over long distances for implantation. Many of the techniques used in transferring the ovum and in delivering the foal are common in domestic animal husbandry, the veterinarians said.

The transfer of an Asian gaur embryo into a domestic cow recently produced a live gaur calf at the Bronx Zoo in New York. To those who would question such tampering with nature, Bennett replied, "I don't think it's bad to try to preserve nature when man has tried to run it into a corner." He and Foster predicted that herds of 10 to 15 exotic equines could be produced within a year using their methods. If nature ran its course, they said, it could take between 10 and 15 years to produce a comparable herd in captivity. About 321,000 zebras are living in natural habitats, zoos and wildlife preserves. Several varieties of the species are either threatened, endangered or extinct.

The colt born yesterday is a Grant's zebra, one of the more common varieties of the species. It is not on the endangered list. Besides the newborn zebra, the Louisville Zoo owns four mature females, one mature male and one baby female. Zoo director Robert Bean said a similar embryo transfer in England is three or four months shy of producing a zebra. Two of the Louisville Zoo's zebra mares and two quarter horses are being prepared for embryo trans- nlants.

he said. Another zebra the natural mother of the colt born yesterday is pregnant and is expected to foal soon. iV SL i 'K- "A 7 staff photos.