Once on the brink of extinction, the majestic Cape Mountain Zebra now finds hope in a dedicated conservation effort. These resilient animals now have fresh land at Zebraskop to roam, grow and ensure their genetic health, thanks to the efforts of WWF and CapeNature.
Zebraskop, South Africa (21 November 2024) – Similar to rhinos, Cape Mountain Zebras were once almost hunted to extinction. Their numbers dropped as low as 60 individual animals at the start of the 20th century, WFF South Africa confirms.
Endemic to South Africa, their last strongholds were in only three places – an area near Cradock in the Eastern Cape (now the Mountain Zebra National Park), Kammanassie near Oudtshoorn and Gamkaberg near Calitzdorp, two provincial nature reserves in the Western Cape.
Through concerted conservation efforts, Cape Mountain Zebra numbers have recovered to an estimated 5,185 animals, but the threats remain.
These include genetic weaknesses due to their being historically isolated in small populations, habitat fragmentation and hybridisation with other equids, including plains and Hartmann’s mountain zebra.
Zebraskop offers lifeline and sanctuary to zebras
This is why WWF and CapeNature have been working together to secure more land for Cape mountain zebras, in particular, to better manage their metapopulation (a population distributed across many sites) and gene pool.
Thanks to a generous donation, WWF was able to buy the 4,172-hectare Zebraskop property, a former game farm which lies to the south of the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, as a site for a genetic rescue programme.
As part of the first phase of this operation, excess existing game on the farm were sold off to raise funds and to allow the veld to recover from past overgrazing. The funds generated from the sale of these animals were then used to establish a breeding herd of Cape Mountain Zebras.
One of the most heartwarming stories within this initiative involves a mare from Kammanassie Nature Reserve. This resilient zebra had wandered off the reserve and found solace among a herd of cattle. Recognising her unique potential, conservationists carefully relocated her to Zebraskop in July.
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To help her settle, the team came up with a plan. Theresa van der Westhuizen, Conservation Manager Off Reserve with CapeNature, explains:
“We realised we would have to create an environment that she would be comfortable with so that she wouldn’t want to go roaming again. The best case scenario was to put her with cattle because it seemed that is what she favoured, and so we arranged with a neighbouring farmer to loan three of his cattle to join her in the camp.”
In September 2024, two more zebras were brought in – one a stallion that was airlifted from a farm adjacent to Gamkaberg (it too had left the reserve) and yet another Kammanassie mare.
Theresa says the herd of three is settling well, although the Vlakteplaas mare is being somewhat bossy towards the Noll mare and trying to keep her away from the stallion.
There’s also a third phase of the project planned for which more funds are needed – to create a 2km by 500m-wide corridor to connect Zebraskop with Gamkaberg, which will allow the zebras to roam more freely. This, however, will require good fencing and cattle grids as the zebras will have to cross public roads.
The journey to recovery is ongoing, but the dedication and perseverance of conservationists offer hope for the Cape Mountain Zebra.
Sources: WFF South Africa
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