One of the rarest animals on Earth was born in a British zoo. Photo

One of the rarest animals on the planet was born in Chester Zoo, which is the largest animal facility in the UK. The zoo's population has been replenished with a Persian onagra, which was born to the oldest representative of the species, Azita.

Initially, the habitat of the mammals, which are distant relatives of domestic donkeys, was semi-desert regions of Iran. However, due to the negative impact of many external factors, less than 600 representatives remained in the wild, the BBC writes.

Mike Jordan, director of Chester Zoo, said that they decided to name the newborn Jasper because it means "treasure" in Persian. He noted that every employee of the institution was delighted with the appearance of the new onagra.

"He is full of energy and likes to playfully kick up dust as he runs around his habitat," the man added.

Representatives of the zoo noticed that the mammal's mother, Azita, takes special care of the cub and is engaged in its upbringing.

Conservationists working in the British zoo explained that the birth of a new representative of Persian onagri is a real miracle, as the number of rare animals has decreased by 50% due to poaching, drought, and disease.

"Given that their numbers in the wild have declined so rapidly and the species is teetering on the brink of extinction in Iran, it is unfortunately very possible that onagri could become extinct in the wild within our lifetime," Mike Jordan shared the disappointing data.

However, the staff of Chester Zoo hopes that they will still be able to protect the unique animals from extinction.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told how pets feel the death of their owners.

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