Grevy's Zebra Conservation

Grevy’s zebras – the largest of the three zebra species – are feeling the pinch of growing human populations in Africa. Since the 1970s, these large zebras have lost huge areas of habitat to settlements and agriculture. The result: the Grevy’s zebra population is now just 2,000 to 2,500 animals – only 17 percent of what it was 30 years ago. AWF’s Grevy’s Zebra Research Project is working fast and furiously to develop conservation efforts to save this fascinating species.

Lions are the main natural predators of Grevy’s zebras, but humans are responsible for the drastic decline of this species. In the 1970s, hunters took their toll on the Grevy’s populations. Today, habitat loss and fragmentation are their greatest threats.

Overgrazing by livestock degrades the Grevy’s zebra’s food supply. Grevy’s zebras must compete with livestock and agricultural crops for water. Pastoralists, desperate to give their livestock water, have blocked Grevy’s zebras from accessing waterholes. Emerging threats include drought and diseases, particularly anthrax and tick borne diseases. Hybridization with the more abundant Burchell’s zebra is also becoming an issue of concern, particulary in areas where few Grevy’s zebra inhabit areas dominated by the latter species.

AWF researchers led by Dr. Paul Muoria are working with other stakeholders to understand the Grevy’s zebras of the Samburu Heartland and the larger Samburu landscape. During a national Grevy’s zebra census conducted in November 2008, they counted 2,407, which accounted for nearly all the Grevy’s in Kenya. Only 1% of these individuals were found in national reserves, while the rest were found mainly in community-owned land where they must compete with man and livestock for space, food and water. This also exposes Grevy's zebras to zoonotic diseases.

The AWF team is working with local people to apply their findings to real-life conservation efforts. Together, they are exploring alternative land-uses, developing management plans and working to raise the legal status of Grevy’s zebras from “game” to “protected” animal. AWF is also working closely with KWS and other partners to implement the National Grevy’s Zebra Conservation Strategy.

As the Grevy’s Zebra Research Project moves forward, AWF plans to help local communities build capacity to manage the Samburu area’s resources and develop income-generating projects like ecotourism, which will reduce the pressure on pastoralists to have more and more livestock. Continued investment in capacity-building and equipment support for scouts working for the evolving community conservancies ensures long-term protection of these endangered beautiful equids.