NEW! Kenya Wildlife Service - Experience Your Wildlife: Grevy’s Zebra
Written by Mary Kirabui, Senior Warden Conservation, Education & Extension |
Grevy's zebra is similar to the donkey and is larger compared to other zebras. It is a very striking, tall zebra with huge rounded ears and narrow stripes, which extend to the hooves and get broader towards the neck. They have a white belly and with the stripes closer together and thinner than of the other zebras, it is easier to make a good escape and to hide from predators. Each Grevy’s zebra has a unique stripe pattern, like a person's fingerprint.
The Grevy’s zebras naturally live in semi-arid areas in the north of equator. In Kenya they are found in Samburu, Isiolo and Laikipia and in Marsabit. The Grevy's zebra eats mainly grass and spends most of the daylight hours grazing. It prefers tender shoots, but usually has to eat mostly coarser grass. Leaves and wild fruits are also eaten. Grevy's zebra has adapted well to its desert-like habitat and seems able to withstand extremes of both heat and thirst. It can survive for several days without eating or drinking. Foals (young Grevy’s zebra) take longer intervals between suckling times and do not drink water until they are 3 months old.
Grevy’s Zebra Facts Description Narrow dark brown stripes, positioned close together, and do not cover the belly which is white. Size 1.25-1.5m (4-5ft) Weight 350-430 kg Diet Herbivore Life Span 25 to 30 years Habitat Semi-arid grasslands Grevy's zebras are unusual because they do not form long lasting friendships like other zebras. Their group composition may change on an hourly basis. They usually live in small herds of up to fourteen individuals. There are family groups as well as bachelor herds, but the biggest and strongest males live alone for much of the time, each occupying a territory of about one and half kilometre in diameter.
Normally only one foal is born to a female after a gestation period (the time between mating and birth) of thirteen months. Most of the babies are born between May and August. The young zebra has brown stripes and a mane which stretches from the shoulder to the tail. The background colour of the foal's coat is light brown instead of white. This protective colouring helps the foal to "freeze" and blend instantly with its background. The foal can stand on its feet within one hour of its birth and can run with the herd after only a few hours - this gives it a much better chance of escaping from predators, usually lions.
The last 15 to 20 years has seen a steady decline in the population of the Grevy's zebra. Several years ago, the zebras were found widely across the horn of Africa including Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. They are now limited to the northern parts of Kenya and southern Ethiopia. In the past there was a great increase in poaching, particularly in northern Kenya, and there was a great demand for the narrow-striped skin of the Grevy's zebra for the manufacture of handbags, purses, slippers, and even clothing. This resulted in the sudden decline of the zebras, from about 15,000 individuals to the current population of approximately 2,500. Since Kenya banned all hunting, and the export of zebra skin products, the poaching has largely stopped, but numbers have not yet recovered sufficiently. Their water source has diminished greatly, as it is being diverted for irrigation and other human uses. The Grevy's zebra is also competing for food with livestock raised by humans in their habitat.
All is not lost though, for this untamed member of the zebra family. Conservationists are working steadily towards their rehabilitation, by coordinating with local communities to address the threats posed to the Grevy's zebra. A strategy to guide in research and field conservation efforts was put in place two years ago and is helping to increase their population and save this fine looking animal from extinction.
By Mary Kirabui, Senior Warden Conservation, Education & Extension
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