THE QUAGGA
BREEDING PROJECT
THE BACKGROUND
A variety of zebra, known as the "Quagga", formerly inhabited the interior of South Africa. Like other grazing mammals, Quaggas had been ruthlessly hunted. They were seen by the settlers as competitors for the grazing of their livestock, mainly sheep and goats.
When the Quagga mare at Amsterdam Zoo died on 12 August 1883, it was not realised that she was the very last of her kind. Because of the confusion caused by the indiscriminate use of the term "Quagga" for any zebra, the true Quagga was hunted to extinction without this being realised until many years later.
Since the Quagga’s extinction, there has been much debate amongst zoologists about its relationship to other zebras. Some regarded the Quagga as the southern-most subspecies or variant of the widely distributed plains zebra (often referred to as Burchell’s zebra). Others treated it as a full species, i.e., reproductively isolated from other zebra species.
During the early 1980’s examination of portions of the genetic code of the Quagga - which were surprisingly still present in tissue samples from mounted Quagga specimens - revealed a close relationship to other plain zebras. This has led to the recognition of the extinct Quagga as one of several subspecies of the plains zebra.
The breeding project believe that the genes responsible for the extinct Quaggas’ brownish colour and markedly reduced striping, have not been totally lost. They are probably dispersed in and dominated by the genes of more northern populations of plains zebra that formerly bordered the Quagga distribution area. In size, shape, biology and call, the Quagga was identical, or at least very similar, to extant southern plains zebras. Some individuals in these populations show a tendency to reduced striping and/or a brownish colour.
A selective breeding programme was started in 1987. This aims to retrieve the Quagga genes, and to eventually produce individuals that will be comparable to the very varied 23 preserved Quaggas in the world’s museums. Whether re-bred Quaggas will be identical to the extinct Quagga in every genetic detail will probably never be known, as only portions of the entire Quagga genome have thus far been isolated.
The only characters previously used to identify the Quagga were its coat-pattern characters. Therefore, re-bred Quaggas with these features can justifiably be
claimed to be Quaggas, since they will possess the same assemblage of coat-pattern genes as the original Quagga.
Breeding in zebras is relatively slow. Reproductive maturity is reached only at 2-3 years in mares and 4-5 years in stallions. Since 1987, some of the female foals (i.e. first generation), have themselves foaled (second generation foals from the female line). The first foals that will be second generation from both the male and female lines are expected during 1997. A few of the zebras in the programme are already very close in appearance to some of the more extensively striped individuals among the 23 preserved Quaggas.
There is current interest in re-introducing wild animals to areas where they were exterminated during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. If zebras are introduced in areas formerly occupied by the Quagga, it would be appropriate to introduce re-bred Quaggas rather than any other zebra.
A major problem is the financing of the project. No official funding has been available, and the continuation of the breeding programme depends largely on donations and/or sponsorships.
THE AIM
The Quagga Project attempts to breed, through selection, a population of plains zebras, which in its external appearance, and possibly genetically too, will be closer, if not identical to the former population known as Quagga, which was exterminated during the second half of the last century.
It is evident from the 23 preserved skins of the extinct Quagga, that this former population displayed great individual variation. Present plains zebra populations, which border on or are near to the former distribution area of the Quagga also demonstrate great individual variation and include individuals that have some Quagga characteristics, such as a brownish basic colour, much reduced striping, white tail-brush, etc.
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA of the Quagga has shown that the Quagga was one of the subspecies of the plains zebra and not a separate species. It is likely that the Quagga population was not totally isolated from adjoining plains zebra populations, and that some of the Quagga genes are still present in extant populations, though diluted and dispersed.
By bringing selected individuals together and so concentrating the Quagga genes, a population should emerge that will be closer to the original Quagga population than any other extant plains zebra.
For re-introduction into areas formerly inhabited by Quagga, such animals would undoubtedly be more desirable than any others.
The Quagga re-breeding is, for the above reasons, different from the so-called re-breeding of the Aurochs, for which various domestic cattle breeds were used to produce cattle that resemble the Aurochs. The Quagga re-breeding programme is comparable to the breeding of the Mongolian wild horse, the Przewalski horse, or the breeding of the European wild horse, the Tarpan, which is under way in Poland. Both breeding programmes use selected animals out of "domestic" horses that have documented Przewalski or Tarpan "blood".
The Quagga Project could be considered as genetic conservation in a wider sense, as it aims at retrieving the former Quagga’s genes.
How close genetically re-bred Quaggas will eventually be to the original Quaggas can probably not be determined, as only mitochondrial DNA of the Quagga is known and not its nuclear DNA.
However, since the coat-pattern characteristics are the only criteria by which the Quagga is identified, re-bred animals that demonstrate these coat-pattern characteristics could justifiably be called Quaggas.
REFERENCES
HISTORY ON THE NAC SITE
The National Accelerator Centre is one of the host sites for the Quagga Breeding Project. Other host sites are Groote Schuur Estate on the slopes of Devils Peak, Mr Dale Parker’s Private Nature Reserve Elandsberg at Wellington, Boland Agricultural School, Wellington and Denel/Somchem’s Krantzkop factory, north of Wellington.
In October 1993 NAC was selected as a host site for the Quagga Breeding Project and three animals were initially released on site. Zane, a stallion, Charlene who was approximately 9 months pregnant at that stage and her foal, Marilyn. Charlene gave birth to a foal, Quahashi, in January 1994, but unfortunately the foal died a a few days later. It was mounted and is on display at the S.A. Museum.
The NAC received an additional two selected zebra in 1994, a stallion named Meggavolt and a mare, Elektra. Due to a freak accident Elektra fell and broke her leg. Unfortunately nothing could be done for her and she had to be put out of her misery.
In July 1995 Zane was relocated to Tygerberg Zoo - an old back injury of his not only made a mockery of the term "breeding project" but also endangered his life on several occasions when he fell whilst galloping round the site. He was put in a paddock with a "proper" zebra named Ziggy and amazingly enough they had a foal named Blossom in early October 1996.
In November 1997 Mariette (born 20th May 1994 at Elandsberg) gave birth to a foal, Zephyr.
Due to some inexplicable reason, the rest of the zebra turned against Marilyn and literally "kicked" her out of the herd. Due to the fact that she was pregnant the Quagga Breeding Committee decided to move her to another location for her own safety and that of her unborn foal.
In December 1997, Marilyn (Photo of Marilyn) was relocated to the Boland Agricultural School in Wellington. The day after she was moved she gave birth, but unfortunately the foal died a few days later.
On the 6th January 1998 Charlene gave birth once again.
There are currently 6 zebra on the NAC site, Charlene and her new foal, (Marilyn, Charlene and Meggavolt) Mariette and her foal Zephyr , Meggavolt, the stallion and Storm, the year old colt (picture of Charlene and Storm).
It is again stressed that the zebra on the NAC site do not belong to the National Accelerator Centre or the staff, they are part of the Quagga Breeding Project, although it should be noted that the rest of the animals on site (springbok, bontebok, grysbok, steenbok, swans etc.) have been funded entirely by the Staff Environmental Club (NACEC). This is a voluntary organisation - staff members contribute a small amount each month and this money is used for the upkeep and purchase of new animals or birds.
If you require further information with regards to the Quagga Breeding Project please contact:
R. Rau (Project Secretary)
* South African Museum, P O Box 61, CAPE TOWN 8000 South Africa
( (021) 243330 / FAX: (021) 246716