On 12th August 1883 a Quagga mare died at Amsterdam zoo.
Her passing was routinely noted in the zoo records. At the time it
was not a significant event. Later it was realized that she was the
last of her kind.
On 12th August 1883 a Quagga mare died at Amsterdam zoo.
Her passing was routinely noted in the zoo records. At the time it
was not a significant event. Later it was realized that she was the
last of her kind.
100 or so years later Reinhold Rau, of the South African Museum in Cape Town was able to gather sufficient evidence & interest to start a re-breeding program from Plains Zebras.
Quaggas were distinctive animals, being stripped at the front end with plain tan quarters ending in a white tail. Had they been lost earlier perhaps we would have thought them mythical creatures & ignored the possibilities.
It is said that they were more trainable than the three remaining species of zebra although Plains & Grevy's zebras have been used in harness.
The name Quagga was given because it is the excited call they made - in common with Plains Zebras. In fact Quagga was the term often used in place of Zebra. To quote Herr Rau:
' As the quagga was the first plains zebra to be named its name takes precedence and all plains zebras become equus quagga instead of equus burchelli..........' I love that.
The quaggas were used as guards for domestic herds of horses & sheep. Have you seen a zebra kick? They pack a hefty buck & quaggas were said to have been bold. Their hides were also prized for their colours & patterns, consequently they were hunted to extinction.
So what is happening? It has been proven that the mitochondrial DNA* of Plains Zebras & Quaggas is the same. Selective breeding of plains zebras is being used in an attempt to breed zebras that have the coat pattern characteristics of Quaggas - patterns known by the 23 remaining skins & a few old sepia photos. The coat was the only identifier used for quaggas. Documented evidence suggests that basic behavior for the two sub-spices was the same, diet ditto. Habitat was likely to have been the factor in coloration, there is a variety of pattern within the existing stocks of plains zebra.
It is this diversity of pattern that opens the window of opportunity for the selective breeding program. This is a long term project, mares mature at 2-3 years, stallions at 4-5 years. Some foals born within the experiment have some of the required characteristics but success is not yet claimed.
I find all this very exciting, some of the project animals have been returned to the Quagga territory where it is hoped they will prosper, although breeding is still controlled. When these various groups are big enough circa 50 animals they will be left to live & presumable mate freely. What a thought the return of an extinct sub-species. A site is maintained by Herr Rau and will provide visitors with the latest developments.
It must be noted however that this is only possible because of the close relationship between Quaggas & Plains Zebras. We cannot think that this means the return of the so many other extinct species, animal or vegetable.
This photo is one of only 5 known photos. They were taken by Frederick York & Frank Haes circa 1870. The picture shows the London zoo Quagga mare. Not the last but one thereof she was already quite old when this picture was taken & of course died in captivity.
* Mitochondrial-DNA. (mt-DNA) Circular DNA that is found in mitochondria. It is entirely independent of nuclear DNA and is transmitted from females to their offspring with no contribution from the male parent. Mitochondrial-DNA codes for specific RNA components of ribosomes that are unique to those organelles. It also codes for some of the respiratory enzymes found in mitochondria.
My dream book can be found on my home page, please take a moment to sign it and let me know what you think of my zebra notes. Thank you.
