Mountain Zebra National Park
Encyclopedia
Mountain Zebra National Park is a national park
in the Eastern Cape
province of South Africa
proclaimed in July, 1937 for the purpose of providing a nature reserve
for the endangered Cape mountain zebra
.
In the early 1930s, the Cape Mountain Zebra was threatened with extinction
. The National Parks Board of Trustees proclaimed a 17.12 km² area for the zebra's preservation. The Mountain Zebra population of the park comprised only five stallion
s and one mare
and was insufficient to expand the population. By 1950, only two stallions remained. A neighboring farmer
improved the breeding pool by trading the park eleven zebras for blesbok
.
By 1964, there were only 25 zebras in the Park. At this time, the park's size was increased to 65.36 km², adding more zebras to the park's herd. From then on, the number of zebras increased steadily. In 1975, the zebras were re-introduced to the Western Cape
at the De Hoop Nature Reserve
.
Since 1978, capture and relocation of Mountain Zebras to new habitats have been part of the routine management of the park. Between 200 and 230 zebras are maintained in the Park, and an average of about 20 animals are relocated each year. Through the years, additional farms have been purchased to increase the size of the park to the current 200 km².
Other mammals found in the boundaries of the park include caracal
, Cape Buffalo
, black rhino
, eland
, black wildebeest
, red hartebeest
, gemsbok
and grey rhebok
. In 2007 cheetah
were reintroduced to the area.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
proclaimed in July, 1937 for the purpose of providing a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
for the endangered Cape mountain zebra
Cape Mountain Zebra
Cape mountain zebra, Equus zebra zebra, is a subspecies of the Mountain zebra found in the Western and Eastern Cape in South Africa. They mainly eat grass but if little food is left they will eat bushes...
.
In the early 1930s, the Cape Mountain Zebra was threatened with extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. The National Parks Board of Trustees proclaimed a 17.12 km² area for the zebra's preservation. The Mountain Zebra population of the park comprised only five stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
s and one mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
and was insufficient to expand the population. By 1950, only two stallions remained. A neighboring farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
improved the breeding pool by trading the park eleven zebras for blesbok
Blesbok
The Blesbok or Blesbuck is an antelope with a distinctive white face and forehead. Its white face is the origin of its name, because bles is the Afrikaans word for bald...
.
By 1964, there were only 25 zebras in the Park. At this time, the park's size was increased to 65.36 km², adding more zebras to the park's herd. From then on, the number of zebras increased steadily. In 1975, the zebras were re-introduced to the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
at the De Hoop Nature Reserve
De Hoop Nature Reserve
De Hoop Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.It lies three hours from Cape Town in the Overberg region, near Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of Africa. Approximately 340 square kilometres in area, it is one of the largest natural areas managed by...
.
Since 1978, capture and relocation of Mountain Zebras to new habitats have been part of the routine management of the park. Between 200 and 230 zebras are maintained in the Park, and an average of about 20 animals are relocated each year. Through the years, additional farms have been purchased to increase the size of the park to the current 200 km².
Other mammals found in the boundaries of the park include caracal
Caracal
The caracal is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat ranging over Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.The word caracal comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", meaning "black ear". In North India and Pakistan, the caracal is locally known as syahgosh or shyahgosh, which is a Persian term...
, Cape Buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
, black rhino
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
, eland
Common Eland
The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
, black wildebeest
Wildebeest
The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
, red hartebeest
Hartebeest
The hartebeest is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It is one of the three species classified in the genus Alcelaphus....
, gemsbok
Gemsbok
The gemsbok or gemsbuck is a large antelope in the Oryx genus. It is native to the arid regions of southern Africa, but formerly some authorities included the East African Oryx as a subspecies...
and grey rhebok
Grey Rhebok
The Grey Rhebok or Grey Rhebuck is a species of antelope endemic to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Swaziland....
. In 2007 cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
were reintroduced to the area.