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| A variety of zebra, known as the "Quagga",
inhabited the Karoo and southern Free State of South Africa well into
the second half of the 19th century, when it became extinct. It differed
from other zebras mainly in having been striped on the head, neck and
front portion of it’s body only, and in having been brownish, rather
than white, in it’s upper parts. The belly and legs were unstriped and
whitish. |
The quagga zebra became extinct at the end of the 19th
century.
The only Quagga to ever have been photographed alive
was the Regent's Park Zoo mare in London. Five photographs are known, taken by
Frederick York and Frank
Haes in 1870
When the Quagga mare at Amsterdam Zoo died
on 12 August 1883, it was not realized that she was the very last of her
kind. Because of the confusion caused by the indiscriminate use of the
term "Quagga" for any zebra, the true Quagga was hunted to extinction
without this being realized until many years later.
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There is a project underway to rebreed the Quagga zebra.
These are zebras in the Quagga project recreating this extinct
breed.
| DNA analysis has shown that the Quagga was
not a separate species of zebra but in fact a subspecies of the Plains
Zebra (Burchell’s Zebra) The Quagga, formerly inhabited the Karoo and
southern Free State of South Africa. Like other grazing mammals, Quaggas
had been ruthlessly hunted. They were seen by the settlers as
competitors for the grazing of their livestock, mainly sheep and goats.
By breeding with selected southern Plains Zebras an attempt is being
made to retrieve at least the genes responsible for the Quaggas
coloration.
The project, if successful, will rectify a tragic mistake made over a
hundred years ago through greed and short sightedness. Once again herds
of "Quaggas" will roam the plains of the Karoo. |
For more information see
www.quaggaproject.org
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