Hartmann's Mountain Zebra

Facts

IUCN VULNERABLE (VU)

Facts about this animal

The Hartmann's Mountain Zebra is a fairly large-sized donkey-like member of the horse family, with a narrow body and narrow, fast-growing hooves. The Mountain Zebras are the only zebras with a dewlap - a pendulous fold of skin under the throat which is commonly associated with bovines. There is a grid pattern on the rump which includes a series of short transverse stripes running perpendicular to the dorsal stripe, not found on any other equine. The legs are striped to the hooves, and the belly is white. The stripes are black. The widest stripes are seen on upper hind legs.

There are two subspecies of the Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra): The Hartmann's Mountain Zebra and the Cape Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra zebra). The Cape Mountain Zebra is the smallest of the wild equines; the Hartmann's Zebra is considerably larger, with a maximum weight of about 340 kgs and a shoulder height of 150 cm. It tends to have narrower, more closely spaced stripes than the Cape Mountain Zebra.

Did you know?
that there are two subspecies of mountain zebras in Southern Africa? The Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) is the smallest of the extant zebras and the most restricted geographically. It became almost extinct but was saved in situ by the establishment of national parks and wildlife reserves. There are no Cape mountain zebras kept in zoos.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	PERISSODACTYLA
Suborder	HIPPOMORPHA
Family	EQUIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Equus zebra hartmannae
Name (English)	Hartmann's Mountain Zebra
Name (French)	Zèbre de Hartmann
Name (German)	Hartmanns Bergzebra
Name (Spanish)	Cebra de Hartmann
Local names	Afrikaans: Hartmann-Bergkwagga Khoekhoegowab: !Goren oshiVambo: oNgoro shiwaradi otjiHerero: oNgoro hambarundu
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Trisha Shears

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Namibia and in the south of Angola
Habitat	Dry, stony, mountain and hill habitats
Wild population	1950: 50'000-75'000 1992: approx. 8'000 1998: approx. 26'000
Zoo population	85 reported to ISIS (2006).

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Requirement 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Road transport (according to the South African Standard SANS 10331): Transport family groups in mass crates. Transport individual stallions in separate, individual compartments in a mass crate. If fighting occurs, separate dominant and aggressive stallions and mares and transport them under tranquillization in individual compartments in mass crates. Since fighting usually begins when different family groups are captured and transported together, this should be avoided at all costs. If a few selected animals are transported over a short distance, transportation under chemical immobilization should be considered.

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Photo Copyright by
Alex Sliwa

Why do zoos keep this animal

Zebras are very popular with the general public, i.e. they are good amabassador species for conservation in their African range states. As the Hartmann's mountain zebra is rated Endangered by IUCN, also the maintenance of a reserve population in human care makes sense, in particular as the range is relatively limited and about 98% of all individuals live in one single country, which makes the population depending of essentially one single government and susceptible to the impact of droughts and changes in agricultural practice.

How this animal should be kept

Hartmann's zebras should be kept in social groups of one adult male and several females with their offspring. Also the keeping of groups of compatible bachelors is possible.For up to five adult animals an outdoor enclosure of at least 800 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 80 m² for each additional adult.

The enclosure should be well structured, frequently used areas, e.g. at the entrance to the stables, should be paved. The soil should be well drained. There should be sandy patches allowing for wallowing. There must be an easily accessible shelter of sufficient size. In temperate and cold climatc zones there should be frost-free indoor facilities where a temperature of at least 10°C can be maintained. Indoor facilities should be designed either as a common stable of 20 m² for the first two adult animals is required, which has to be enlarged by 2 m² for each additional adult or, if the animals are individually stabled, there must be boxes of at 8 m² each.

Hartmann's zebras are grazers. They should be fed on a diet consisting of grass and hay supplemented by horse pellets, carrots and branches in leave.