Gender inequity in the zebra enclosure of Alipore zoo has forced the authorities to go looking for a male of breeding age before the lone claimant to paternity complains of work overload.

The zoo currently has 10 zebras, seven of them females. Two of the three males are juveniles still waiting to earn their stripes, which leaves Ujjwal as the only adult male in the mating game.

“Five of the seven adult females are fit for breeding but they have only one partner in Ujjwal. We are looking to bring in another suitable boy,” zoo director Asis Kumar Samanta said.

Ujjwal had arrived at Alipore from a zoo in Tel Aviv, Israel, along with three females in 2011. He has since been rather prolific in furthering the clan, including the last female foal born on November 18.

The younger of the two male juveniles was born in January. A foal born in March died within 24 hours after the mother refused to feed it. The gender could not be ascertained. Another male was born in April.

Female zebras can give birth from four years of age. Males become fit for breeding a year or two later. “So, it will be a while before the two juvenile males attain maturity,” Samanta said.

Dyuti, one of the mares, had partnered Ujjwal to give birth to the older of the two foals in the enclosure. Roshni, Dyuti’s daughter from a previous dalliance, also found in Ujjwal the father of the foal born this month.

An offspring fathered by a male brought from another park is required to bring some variation in the genetic character of captive zebras sharing an enclosure, officials said. “A new male always helps in terms of genetics,” said V.K. Yadav, member secretary of the Bengal Zoo Authority. “We are in discussions with several zoos for an exchange programme. We will send a female zebra in exchange for a male and some other animals.”

The Patna, Mysore and Hyderabad zoos are among the potential exchange partners.