Mountain Zebra National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mountain Zebra National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
 |
|
| Location: | Eastern Cape Province, South Africa |
| Area: | 200 km² |
| Established: | 1937 |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
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 stallions 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 Province area 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.
