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Two of the Oakland Zoo’s newest residents are settling in nicely to their new home, zookeepers said.

Male zebras Beaker, 1-year-old, and Beetlejuice, 2-years-old, moved to the East Bay from their previous home at Santa Rosa’s Safari West.

Zookeepers are training Beaker and Beetlejuice, and slowly introducing them to the Oakland Zoo’s other two zebras, females Stormy and Jumoke, both who are more than 20 years old. The two new zebras bring Oakland’s herd to four members, which is the minimum number for a herd in the wild. The two young males were chosen because herds are usually led by a stallion.

“It is an immensely fun challenge for us to train these young Zebra, as well as a huge social benefit for Stormy and Jumoke to have a herd again,” Oakland Zoo zookeeper Amber Paczkowski said in a statement.

The two young zebras are currently separated from the older females by a fence line while they get more comfortable around each other. Zookeepers said Beaker and Jumoke are very interested in one another.

“We are really looking forward to finishing our introductions and having all four zebra together,” Paczkowski wrote. “And I think the zebra are looking forward to it as well!”


So far, Beaker and Beetlejuice have learned to stand of a scale and move in to different stalls so theirs can be cleaned. Zookeepers are also working to make the new zebras more comfortable, because zebras are naturally flighty animals.

Visitors can meet Beaker and Beetlejuice in the Oakland Zoo’s African Savanna section. The Oakland Zoo is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free for children under 2-years-old, $18 for children ages 2-14, $22 for ages 15-64, $18 for ages 65-75, and free for visitors 76-years-old and over. For more information, visit Oaklandzoo.org.

