The Ramat Gan Safari has welcomed two new members to its zebra herd with the birth of male and female foals, marking a significant addition to the facility's African savanna exhibit.

Born eight days ago to separate mares, the young zebras, each weighing approximately 66 pounds, are already exploring their home in the African savanna exhibit alongside their protective mothers.

The foals display the characteristic brown and white striping pattern unique to newborn zebras, a natural camouflage mechanism that will gradually transform as they age, with the brown stripes deepening to black. These recent arrivals join another female calf born at the facility just one month ago. "We've been delighted to observe the calves beginning to interact and play together," Shira Inbar Danin, Head of the African Savannah team said. "All three are part of the same extended family."

The safari's impressive zebra population, numbering approximately 125, roams freely in large herds throughout the African savanna enclosure. Readers of Israel Hayom are invited to participate in naming the new arrivals by submitting suggestions in the comments section, which will be forwarded to safari officials.

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Blind and visually impaired visitors to the Ramat Gan Safari can enjoy a more accessible experience, thanks to the Right Hear application.

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In addition to supplying zoological information about the species at the safari, as well as unique stories about the specific animals housed in its 64 enclosures, the Right Hear system helps the blind and visually impaired navigate the park.

One such visitor, Hezi Eliyahu, said, "This brings me full circle. For years, while I was still a young father, I had to look for friends, acquaintances, or family members who would come with me on visits to the safari. This week, I experienced a correction – I walked along the paths independently, knowing exactly which enclosure I was next to and what direction I needed to go in, without needing directions from anyone.

"All the instructions and information surrounded me through the smartphone's speaker. The accessibility includes information about the animals, so a blind person can definitely describe them to their kids and share with them," he said.

"The fact that now I can walk around the safari alone or with my family, and even lead them, and not forgo a family outing, is a really moving, joyous moment for me," Eliyahu added.

Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama Hacohen said that the safari's new system was the city's way of "making the safari accessible to people who in the past probably avoided visiting for fear they couldn't enjoy it like everyone else."

Now, Hacohen said, "Blind and visually impaired visitors can feel like they're part of the atmosphere … No less important is the message to the hundreds of thousands of children who visit the safari each year, who will be exposed to our municipal sensitivity to accessibility for everyone and people with special needs in particular."

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Sukkot is one of the most beloved holidays in Israel and at the Ramat Gan Safari, no one misses out on the holiday fun, not even the animals.

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Safari caretakers have built special sukkahs for the animals in honor of the celebrations. The fat sand rat received a sukkah with a roof made of saltbushes, a treat it loves. The tapirs' and porcupines' sukkahs have also been decorated with edible treats.

Video: Ramat Gan Safari

In addition to marking the holidays, the decorations and treats bring excitement into the animals' lives and help them stay active as they roam around the structure to find their treats, sharpening their senses and instincts.

Visitors at the safari will have plenty of activities to enjoy in addition to observing animals eating, socializing, being active or resting as they do in their natural habitats. In addition, there are guided tours and animal feeding sessions on offer. The Safari is home to some 1,600 animals from all over the world and is home to African and Asian elephants, giraffes, orangutans, Sumatran tigers, gorillas and more.

Make sure to visit the safari's "Magical creatures of Mozambique" exhibition, with includes eight gigantic pop-up books, open for one more week.

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Zookeepers at the Ramat Gan Safari are excited to welcome a new set of quadruplets – meerkat pups born to proud mother meerkat Angie.

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Female meerkats Angie and Tamar recently joined the safari's meetkat population. Each group of meerkats has only one female that reproduces, so keepers decided to separate Angie and Tamar into two separate groups.

Video: Rachel Ben Ezra

The staff were happy when, one day, they note that Angie was not out and about. Her pregnant belly had flattened, and every time she left her burrow to each, she would take the food back with her, not remaining outside for more than a few seconds.

The zookeepers waited for Angie to bring out her pups, and tried to guess how many she had given birth to. At one point, Safar keeper Rachel Ben Ezra peeked inside the burrow and counted four, but was not sure they would all survive.

For three weeks, the pups stayed inside the burrow, with mother Angie making only occasional appearances. Slowly, Angie began to appear more comfortable and allowed herself to stay outside for longer, enjoying the sun. The two male meerkats in her group also appeared busier and more active.

This week, three weeks after they were born, the meerkat pups have made their public debut. All four stick close to Angie, as they still haven't been weaned. This stage of their development is expected to last a few more weeks. In the meantime, the pups are starting to familiarize themselves with their enclosure.

Meanwhile, Tamar and her male, Gili, are in an adjacent enclosure, and Safari staff hope that they will soon become parents to pups of their own.

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Two ancient sarcophagi have been discovered during construction at the Ramat Gan Safari, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Thursday.

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Construction workers were building a new wildlife medical center on-site when they came across the ancient coffins that archeologists said are 1,800 years old.

The ornate nature of the sarcophagi suggests that they were most likely made for people of high social standing, IAA researchers Alon Klein and Uzi Rothstein explained.

The coffins date back to the Roman period, 200-300 CE, and bear identical decoration of garlands and discs, suggesting they might have belonged to a husband and wife.

Flower garlands were often used as sarcophagi decorations in both the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Ancient Romans used disc ornaments to decorate coffins to protect and accompany the soul on its journey to the afterlife.

The original burial site of the sarcophagi is unknown, but archeologists estimate that it was in the vicinity of the safari, in the region of Messubim – modern-day Bnei Brak.

The coffins are currently being kept at the Israel National Treasures Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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Zookeepers opened the gates of the maternity ward, ‎fenced off from the rest of the wildlife compound in ‎central Israel, to allow the baby rhino to meet her ‎siblings.‎

Born on August 14, the female rhinoceros calf, which has ‎yet to be named, remained at her mother Tanda's side ‎as she was finally permitted to leave the ward and join the safari's crash ‎of 300 southern white rhinoceros.

Israel is home to the largest southern white rhinoceros crash ‎in the European Endangered Species ‎Program, the Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan noted.

This was the 30th rhino birth at the compound, a ‎‎250-acre site comprising both a drive-through ‎African safari area and a modern outdoor zoo. ‎

White rhinos are an endangered species as they are ‎still hunted for their horns. The illegal trade in ‎rhino horns is particularly rampant in Africa and ‎Asia. ‎

Over the past year, 1,028 white rhinos have been ‎hunted in Africa alone. ‎

The Ramat ‎Gan ‎safari ‎is one of 78 international zoological centers ‎that participate in the European Endangered Species ‎Program, a population management program for ‎threatened species in zoos.‎

The North American counterpart is the Species ‎Survival Plan, while Australian, Japanese and Indian ‎zoos also have similar programs.

Combined, there are ‎now hundreds of zoos worldwide involved in ‎regional breeding programs.‎

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