Kira Cooper, 2-12-08
The Mountain Zebra
Black and White Stripes Color the Mountains of Africa
The beautiful Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra), one of three types of zebras
in the world, is found in dry, stony, mountainous habitats in Angola, Namibia and
South Africa. There are two subspecies of the Mountain Zebra: the Cape
Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra zebra) and the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra
(Equus zebra hartmannae). Both subspecies are near extinction, and listed as
endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as of 1996
(www.iucnredlist.org). In fact, Mountain Zebras are among only seven species of
wild horses, zebras and asses left—a mammal category called “wild equids” that
used to include many species throughout the grasslands and steppes of Africa,
Asia, North America and South America. Most of the seven species that are left
are now critically endangered, including the Mountain Zebra, or in some cases
extinct in the wild (found only in captivity). (www.abapwildlife.com/articles_spring04.html)
Characteristics and Life cycle
The mountain Zebra’s has black and white stripes all over their bodies except
their stomachs, which is white. They have four one-toed hoofs. Their slender,
pointed ears reach up to eight inches in length. The Mountain Zebras have
manes of short hair that stick up from their necks. The stripes on their bodies
continue to the mane. They also have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails. The
size of mountain zebras can reach up to six to eight-and-a-half feet in length.
Their tails are an additional one-and-a-half feet long. Mountain Zebras can weigh
between 530 and 820 pounds. They are four to five feet tall at the shoulder. The
equus zebra is generally larger than Equus zebra hartmannae. The life span of a
Mountain Zebra’s can live up to 25 to 45 years. The Mountain zebras range
around in southeastern Africa. Equus zebra inhabits South Africa and Equus
zebra hartmannae inhabits Namibia and Angola. Their habitats are primarily in
the slopes and plateaus of mountainous regions. Mountain zebras inhabit
elevations of up to 6,500 feet. Most Mountain zebras are active in the early
morning and late afternoon. They spend up to half of the daylight hours feeding.
Mountain zebras live in herds consisting of one adult male (stallion), one female
(mares) and their young. The male is the dominant member of the herd.
Sometimes herds come together to form temporary groups of up to 30 members.
Their offspring cycle occurs the young mountain zebras are called foals. New
born foals weight up to 55 pounds at birth. (Mares) females normally give birth to
their first foal when they are between three and years of. Normally they then give
birth to one foal every one to three years until there are 24 years old.
(http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/zebra.html)
How could one of the most fascinating and colorful animals in the world be
endangered? Several factors contribute to the endangerment of the Mountain
Zebra: habitat loss and degradation (induced by humans), invasive (alien)
species, harvesting, intrinsic factors such as restricted range, and being hunted
for their skin.
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml) The greatest factor that is reducing their population exponentially is the
spread of agriculture. There habitats is destroyed to make room for new
farmland, and they are hunted and killed so that domestic livestock can graze on
the land. (http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/zebra.html)
A Disappearing Habitat
Loss of habitat or the "native home" of a plant or animal is the main cause
of endangerment for most species, including the Mountain Zebra. Nearly all
plants and animals require food, water, and shelter to survive, just as humans do.
Humans are highly adaptable, however, and can produce or gather a wide
variety of foods, store water, and create their own shelter from raw materials or
carry it on their backs in the form of clothing or tents. Other organisms cannot
survive losing their habitat.
(http://biology.about.com/library/weekly/aa011504a.htm)
Mountain zebras require a large area of open land in order to live, they
have a more successful time reproducing and raising a family when the land isn’t
fenced or developed. Most zebras will travel 6 to 8 kilometers (3.5 to 5 miles)
daily for more water and greener pastures, with a home range that varies from
3.1 to 20 square kilometers (2 to 12 square miles). They live in herds of up to 30.
Mostly because of human intrusion on their habitats, such as agriculture,
ranching, hunting, and other causes, their habitat has now shrunk down to only a
few small mountain areas in southern Africa on the southern coast of South
Africa (the only area where the Cape Mountain Zebra lives)
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml, www.abap-wildlife.com/articles_spring04.html) and in the dry mountains near
the west coast of South Africa, Angola and Namibia.
(www.ultimateungulate.com/Perissodactyla/Equus_zebra.html)
Much of the remaining population of Cape Mountain Zebras is fortunately
protected because South Africa’s Mountain Zebra National Park, Karoo National
Park, Tsolwana Game Ranch, Gamka Mountain Reserve and three nature
reserves are off limits to development and hunting. The situation isn’t as good in
Namibia or Angola, however, because they are poorer countries that don’t have
the same network of parks and reserves. The distribution of Hartmann’s
Mountain Zebras in those countries is more scattered and the subspecies is
more critically endangered.
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml)
A Disappearing Species
In the 1950s, Mountain Zebras numbered an estimated 50,000 to 75,000.
By 1992, the estimate was down to 8,000. Just three years later, in 1995, the
estimate plunged to just 600 to 700. As a result, the IUCN Red List added
Mountain Zebras to its vulnerable species list. It’s also listed as endangered by
CITES and the U.S. Federal List.
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml, http://www.planetware.com/cradock/mountain-zebra-national-park-saf-eczebra.htm)
We are the Worst Predators
The main predators of the Mountain Zebra are lions and hyenas,
(www.ultimateungulate.com/Perissodactyla/Equus_zebra.html) by far the most
deadly is humans. Besides eliminating so much of the Mountain Zebra’s habitat,
hunters have steadily reduced their population. They were hunted for their
beautiful hides by poachers, and hunted by ranchers because they competed
with cattle for grazing and supposedly broke through ranch fences. The hunting
of Mountain Zebras, illegal or not, is still going on in some areas.
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml)
Why are Mountain Zebras Important?
Mountain zebras are herbivores and their diet consists primary of grasses.
This is important for the ecosystem because, as grazers, they may aid in seed
dispersal. Seed dispersal increases not only the habitat of these grasses, but
also the food supply and habitat for smaller herbivorous animals (called
mesopredators), such as raccoons, skunks, snakes and foxes. The mountain
zebra also serves as prey for large predators such as lions and hyenas— their
two main predators. Finally, Mountain Zebras serve as hosts for various parasitic
species, including ticks, bot-flies, nematodes and cestodes.
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml, www.ultimateungulate.com/Perissodactyla/Equus_zebra.html)
There is also a simple economic reason why it’s valuable for Mountain
Zebras to survive and prosper as a species: ecotourism.
(http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Equus_zebra.ht
ml) Ecotourism is a large, profitable and growing industry. According to the
International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism has grown at the rate of 20 to 34
percent per year since the 1990s.
(http://www.ecotourism.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/eco_template.
aspx?articleid=15&zoneid=2) People who travel to southern Africa want to see
exotic and beautiful animals like Mountain Zebras. If the zebras disappeared, not
as many of them would come and the economies of the three poor African
countries where they live would be hurt.
The success of ecotourism in helping to save a species is most obvious in
South Africa’s 16,144-acre Mountain Zebra National Park. Protection of the
Mountain Zebra was the reason for the founding of this park back in 1937 and
they are still one of its top attractions. Only 50 were counted in the park in 1960,
but that’s grown to 200—which is about one-third of all Mountain Zebras left in
the world. So, as the total number of Mountain Zebras dropped from the tens of
thousands in 1960 to a few hundred now, the number in this national park
actually grew by four times. This shows how important national parks and game
reserves that are strict about protecting species are to species survival.
(www.planetware.com/cradock/mountain-zebra-national-park-saf-ec-zebra.htm)
Some Positive Steps Are Being Taken
Gradually, more and more efforts are being made to protect the Mountain
Zebra—even her in the United States, a half-world away.
 Many zoos, wildlife parks and private ranches care for mountain zebras.
Altogether there are 362 Hartmann’s zebras—a similar number to the
Hartmann’s zebras that live in the wild in Africa. More than half of these
(208) are on a single private ranch in the U.S. The other 154 are scattered
around zoos and wildlife parks throughout the world. Although this isn’t as
healthy for the animals as living in the wild, at least it will ensure they will
survive as a species in small numbers.
 The American Zoo and Aquarium Association has established a
Population Management Plan to oversee the zoological population of
Hartmann's zebra. They provide recommendations to zoos for the zebras’
care to ensure their health and survival. The manager of this project,
Farshid Mehrdadfar, is studying the ecology of Hartmann's zebras in
Etosha National Park in Namibia in order to provide good information to
zoos. (www.abap-wildlife.com/articles_spring04.html)
 Ebay actually mentions on its “Animals and Wildlife Products” page that
products made with Mountain Zebras are banned from being sold on its
website because it’s an endangered species.
(http://pages.ebay.com/aol/help/policies/wildlife.html)
 Experts who serve on the IUCN-World Conservation Union's Equid
Specialist Group have written a plan of action to equids, including the
Mountain Zebra, to fully recover from the edge of extinction. Dr. Patricia
Moehlman, the head of the group which authored this study in 2005
("Equids: Zebras, Asses and Horses: Status Survey and Conservation
Action Plan”) says: "Most of the endangered equids live in desert and
savanna ecosystems…[habitats that] are not rich in biodiversity, but do
contain unique and endemic animals and plants. Zebras, asses, and
horses can serve as flagship species for the conservation of these
ecosystems and their biodiversity.” Dr. Mary Pearl, president of Wildlife
Trust, writes: “This new action plan for the conservation of equids is an
urgently needed response to the problem of creating effective
conservation strategies in equid habitats. Its value has been greatly
enhanced because its authors are grounded in the realities of local socioeconomic circumstances as well as cognizant of the scientific basis
needed for the protection and management of species.” (www.abapwildlife.com/articles_spring04.html)
What must be done?
Mountain Zebras can be protected in many ways. Habitat protection is the
highest priority, so more parks and preserves should be established where herds
live now. Herds can also be started, so that breeding can increase their numbers,
in other parts of the world where the ecosystem will support them—such as the
private ranch in the U.S. that has one-third of all Mountain Zebras.
Strict penalties against the killing of Mountain Zebras, and the importation
and exportation of their hides, must also continue and be made even stricter. The
number of Mountain Zebras is low enough, and the poverty in southern Africa
desperate enough, that a few poachers could dramatically lower the number of
Mountain Zebras left.
We can all support Mountain Zebras, too, by supporting organizations with
our contributions that work to protect habitat and wild animals, like the World
Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy. Protection of the shrinking amount of
wild lands left in the world is the best protection against species endangerment
and extinction.
If all of these things are done, the Mountain Zebra can rebound in
numbers and become a healthy part of ecosystems in a wider variety of places in
Africa and in other places. If they are not, yet another species will be lost to the
carelessness and greed of the human race.
Above: This map of Africa shows the historical and current range of the Mountain
Zebra.