Fun Fact: When staring at a herd of Zebra, all of the animals may look alike – but in truth, their stripe patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints are in man.
Not So Fun Fact: Some species of Zebra are so close to extinction that fewer than 2500 remain today.
Such is the case for Grevy’s Zebras. These gorgeous creatures are becoming extremely rare and in need of a plan for survival. Luckily these horse-like mammals have a guardian in the “Grevy’s Zebra Trust” (GZT) – a Kenyan effort whose main goal is protecting and monitoring populations against poaching and persecution.
Currently, the only remaining herds of Grevy’s zebra live in northern Kenya and three small pockets in Ethiopia – and some of these areas have little or no conservation knowledge at all. To help, GZT developed the Grevy’s Zebra Ambassador Program which hires local people to raise awareness and develop a long-term, community-led action plan for the safety of the striped species.
Since most of the animals are killed for food, any plan to help them must include the cooperation of local authorities and the Kenya Wildlife Service. Reporting and follow-up on poaching is crucial. The program plans to assist these efforts by improving radio communication networks – and strengthening the Wildlife Service patrol presence in the area.
The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund has supported the GZT since 2007 and believes that only by learning to live in harmony with all of nature can we hope to preserve the Earth’s richest resources. Helping the Grevy’s Zebras to survive will also promote the overall conservation of all wildlife in the area – and that’s the best fact of all.
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