Africa Wild

Hunting organisation aids conservation of rare Zebra species in drought-stricken Klein Karoo
2018-03-01 08:36 - Gabi Zietsman

The CapeNature-managed Kammanassie Game Reserve in the Klein Karoo is struggling with a severe drought, and the dried up rivers, fountains and streams have left its animals without water.

The most affected is the reserve's Cape mountain zebra population of 42, and although small the herd is genetically different to the other two main herds in the country - Gamkaberg Game Reserve and Mountain Zebra National Park - and is thus important for the survival of the species.

The Cape Hunters and Gaming Conservation Association, also known as Kaapjag, provided a life-saving donation to CapeNature in the form of a solar pump and arranged a 5 000 litre water tank sponsored by Roto Tank. This will help provide drinking water to the animals of Kammanassie and prevent thirst-related deaths.

"We decided to get involved because we are not only hunters but care for the environment as well and conservation has played a role in Kaapjag’s activities since our establishment 34 years ago,” says Kaapjag conservation official Gustav Smit.

Kaapjag manages Western Cape hunters and sport shooters' 'dedicated status' which allows members to legally own more than four gun licenses for hunting, and also promotes shooting sports like clay shooting. They also have a conservation ethos that "aims to promote the knowledge and love of wildlife and nature in general".

Besides the drought, the Kammanassie population is also threatened by lack of habitat availability and frequent wildfires, which decimates its preferred habitats of Arid Restioid Fynbos and Waboomveld.

Although once nearly driven to extinction, the population has been increased by several modern conservation methods and is now classified as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Still, the Cape Mountain Zebra is the smallest of all existing zebra species and also the most geographically restricted, having once roamed widely along the southern mountains of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

“This is a fine example of a conservation partnership in action. As the conservation authority in the Western Cape, we value partnerships which add value to the conservation of our valuable and unique biodiversity,” says CapeNature CEO Dr Razeena Omar.

“The donation is an invaluable contribution to the survival of these unique zebras, and we thank Kaapjag for this.”

DEA approves plan to 'strengthen' population of SA's endemic Cape mountain zebra

2018-03-19 08:41 - Kavitha Pillay



The first Cape mountain zebra capture and relocation took place in and around De Hoop Nature reserve in 2016, and since then data has assisted in supporting strategies as part of the Biodiversity Management Plan for the species.

On Friday, 16 March, the approved Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for the Cape mountain zebra, for implementation in Government Gazette, was published by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa.

Cape mountain zebra is a subspecies endemic to South Africa. "At the end of 2015, the Cape mountain zebra meta-population comprised approximately 4872 individuals in 76 sub-populations throughout South Africa that are well distributed over the historical range of the subspecies," says the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

"As a result, the Cape mountain zebra is no longer threatened with extinction, having recently been assessed as Vulnerable (D1) by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)," adds DEA.

According to the DEA, the BMP provides a "new approach" to the management of the zebra species, following the adoption of South Africa’s proposal to have the subspecies transferred from Appendix I to Appendix II at the recent 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to CITES, held in Johannesburg.

“The Cape mountain zebra is well protected in state-owned protected areas. The two original sub-populations in Mountain Zebra National Park and Karoo National Park have doubled since 2004. The national population has increased steadily since the early 1990s, with the annual rate of increase from 2009 to 2015 measured at just over 9%,” says Molewa.

Strategies to strengthen the overall population

The BMP was developed by Cape Nature, SANParks, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), academia, non-governmental organisations and private landowners.

It aims for "an increasing, genetically healthy meta-population, supporting sustainable off-takes with an increased conservation value and private sector investment in Cape mountain zebra".

The BMP also identifies actions to ensure the long-term survival of the zebra in nature, and "ensuring the sustainable, non-detrimental harvest and off-take as an economic incentive for private land owners participating in the meta-population strategy," says DEA.

The plan focuses on "strategies to strengthen the overall population performance, distribution and genetic diversity to ensure population fitness and resilience of the meta-population within the natural distribution range - including protected areas with populations outside the natural distribution range," adds DEA.

WATCH: The battle for the future of the Cape mountain zebra

https://youtu.be/LPxsuyVpsrQ

15 May, 06:56 AM
Aletta Harrison, News24


The remote and rugged Gamkaberg mountains near Oudtshoorn. Picture: Aletta Harrison/News24

Legend has it that a trigger-happy farmer nearly wiped out one of the last surviving pockets of Cape mountain zebra in the 1970s.

The overzealous hunter allegedly negotiated the rocky mountain roads of the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve near Oudtshoorn in a VW Beetle before it was properly fenced and shot seven zebras in one day. The hides were turned into grain sacks and bridles.

With just six individuals remaining in the newly-established Klein Karoo reserve, and two other isolated pockets in Cradock and Kamanassie, conservationists managed to pull off a remarkable feat - bringing the species back from the brink of extinction.

At the turn of the last century there were thought to be just 60 animals alive. Today there are an estimated 6 000.

Now the success story of how Equus zebra zebra was saved stands alongside that of the bontebok and white rhino as one of the most remarkable accomplishments in South African nature conservation history.

But though the numbers may indicate the Cape mountain zebra has found a sound foothold on its rugged habitat, the future of the species is far more uncertain than it may seem.

Because of the severe drop in numbers, as well as the isolation of remaining populations, the majority of the animals alive today lack the genetic diversity to guarantee the species' long-term survival.

There is, however, one possible saving grace, and the tiny population at the Gamkaberg holds the key.

The remote and rugged Gamkaberg mountains near Oudtshoorn. Picture: Aletta Harrison/News24

There are two major species of zebra that occur in South Africa: The plains zebra, (of which there are two subspecies - the common Burchell's zebra and the extinct quagga) and mountain zebra, (of which there are also two subspecies - Hartmann's zebra and the Cape mountain zebra).

Mountain zebras are not as big as plains zebras and live in smaller family groups that are more widely dispersed.

While these zebras were once plentiful on the southern tip of the continent, the arrival of European settlers in the Cape soon decimated their populations.

"They were shot out because they were competing with domestic animals for grazing and their skins were also used for grain bags and bridles and things," says Gamkaberg Nature Reserve manager Tom Barry.

Barry has been closely monitoring the Gamkaberg zebras for the past 25 years.

He explains this relic population was among those who were adapted to retreat to higher terrain to escape hunters and managed to survive in remote, isolated pockets.

The Cape mountain zebra's famous cousin - the quagga - was not so lucky.

Three small, fragmented populations remained in the Gamkaberg, Cradock and Kamanassie mountains until conservationists started work to restore the animals to some of their former ranges.

But while the numbers started to indicate the Cape mountain zebra was out of the woods, a study in 2005 revealed that the drastic population decline over the preceding centuries had taken its toll on the gene pool.


The study made another, startling discovery that, however, gave a glimmer of hope - the animals at Gamkaberg were the exception, holding precious genetic material not represented in the other two source populations.

Scientists soon realised that these animals had the ability to secure the future of the entire species.

"So it makes the animals that are here at Gamkaberg very special. They are super rare and super special," says CapeNature mammal ecologist Coral Birss.

"Because they hold a third of the genetic material, it indicates to us that if we mix them with either of the other source populations that we will potentially be able to restore genetic diversity and therefore address some of the associated low genetic diversity manifestations like disease resistance or how their breeding success is affected."

But disaster struck in 2017 when nature almost finished off the job man started. A fire tore through the Gamkaberg reserve, decimating grazing. The ongoing drought suppressed regrowth and a number of the zebras died as a result. Reserve management was forced to feed the precious survivors - an approach they prefer to avoid.

A mere 25 Gamkaberg zebras are thought to still roam the 40 000ha reserve and the clock is ticking for conservationists.

While their name might suggest that they live solely in the mountains, a recent study lead by Jessica Lea suggests that the population on the Gamkaberg has been confined to sub-optimal habitat due to past human activities.

"Because the animals in those days retreated into the mountains because they were hunted, people thought that they were only mountain animals… but they do need to go onto the flats at certain times of the year," Barry explains.

The study suggests allowing for seasonal movement across high- and low-lying habitat types could address the poor breeding rate seen among the Gamkaberg zebras.

CapeNature is now working with partners including the WWF to extend the reserve and an additional 1 000ha of low-lying land has been acquired to improve the quality of habitat available.

"That's a huge thing because it means that there's good habitat for another 20 animals. And with that purchase it's enabled us to really look at a new corridor going further south, so it's just opened up a lot of new doors," Barry adds.

While the expansion of reserves may give individual populations the room to thrive, scientists are now hard at work trying to comb through the logistics involved in inter-breeding and translocation to help the species as a whole.


The stripes on Cape mountain zebra are different from that of the more common plains zebra. Picture: Coral Birss/CapeNature

Birss says the first step, however, is to try and get fresh information on the genetic make-up of the Gamkaberg survivors.

"The work on which we base the genetic status is a bit old, so we have identified that we need to update that... and then look at what the mechanisms are that we can implement towards translocation and mixing."

While there is still a long road ahead, Birss is in no doubt that it's a worthwhile undertaking for the province and for the country as a whole.

"I think if you look at the landscape in the Western Cape specifically, it's mostly devoid of large charismatic herbivores, but we have the Cape mountain zebra.

"And the Cape mountain zebra becomes iconic, but it also becomes an indicator of what we're able to do, but it's also an umbrella. If you have a large area of land and you use it as an iconic species you know that there's so much underneath that... that is also protected.

"The number of zebras that you can sustain becomes indicative of how biodiversity is faring overall," she explains.

"The rate of environmental loss that south Africa experienced in the last 400 years basically stemmed from the Western Cape and this is where we can start turning it around in terms of what we've lost in terms of our biodiversity."


https://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfric ... e-20180514

Cape Mountain Zebra differ from the Kruger Burchells Zebra in many ways including :
- Having a Dewlap (Burchells doesn't)
- Stripes all the way down to the feet
- The Stripes on the Burchells go all the way around the belly
- The Mt Zebra has a Gridlock stripe Pattern on the top of its rump near the tail base.
- There are NO shadow stripes in between the stripes on a Mt Zebra whereas every Burchell's has brownish shadow stripes..Pic of a Cape Mountain Zebra in my favorite local Park ..The Mountain Zebra Park

More info here: https://www.africawild-forum.com/viewto ... 243&t=8390

Thanks Peter.

They truly are special

Very pretty.

'4 Eyes are better than 2' this is a Canvas I did last night for a wedding in Stellenbosch I am going to in 2 weeks time ..The Couple live in London but the Bride grew up on a farm 40 kms from Mt Zebra Park so this is a great memento to hang up in their London home..I Love these Mountain Zebra ..very photogenic ..also made so by the stunning area they live in..You will need to click on image to get black stripes instead of brown !!

Nice gift.