Hamilton Zoo has welcomed a little bundle of black and white stripes to its animal family with the birth of a baby zebra.

The male foal was born early Monday morning.

Yet-to-be named, he is the first zebra to be born at the zoo since 2011.

Both mother and foal are doing well and zoo keeper Louise van der Sande said she was very excited about the new addition to the zoo team.

"The foal is doing really great,'' she said.

''He's healthy and is walking and drinking from his mother.

''Like horses, zebras are highly sociable animals so our new zebra is already enjoying exploring his new home and meeting the other animals."

The foal is the fourth for mother Marble,  who was born in Hamilton Zoo in 2003 and the 11th for father Bwana, who was born in 2004 at Adelaide Zoo and imported to Hamilton in 2005.

The birth takes the number of zebra at Hamilton Zoo to a total of seven, including three males and four females.

There are about 20 zebras held in New Zealand.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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