Apollo, a 15-year-old male plains zebra, had his hooves trimmed on Thursday as part of a preventative medicine program at Zoo Miami.
Zoo Miami said that zebras, as members of the equine family, have hoof structures that are similar to domestic horses and, like horses, their hooves may need trimming.
"At Zoo Miami, they do not have to run from predators and tend to be on fairly even terrain, unlike what they would encounter in the wild," Zoo Miami said in a statement. "Because of this, their hooves can sometimes become overgrown and need to be trimmed."
Apollo was immobilized for the procedure.
Jorge Ocampo, a farrier, or craftsperson who trims and shoes hooves, performed the treatment with the help of Zoo Miami's veterinary team, led by doctors Gaby Flacke and Jimmy Johnson, who did a general health exam on Apollo.
Ocampo told Zoo Miami officials that Apollo's hooves were in excellent condition, only having to do minor work, the statement adds.
Plain zebras are the most common species of zebras, found throughout the plains and savannas of sub-Saharan east Africa and southern Africa, Zoo Miami said.
