Grevy's Zebra Conservation

Grevy’s zebras – the largest of the 3 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, cheetah and hyenas are the main natural predators of Grevy’s zebras, but humans are responsible for the drastic decline of this species in recent years. 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.

AWF researchers led by Dr. Paul Muoria are working to understand the Grevy’s zebras of the Samburu Heartland. So far, they’ve found that 1,100 Grevy’s zebras live in the southern Samburu, but less than ten percent frequent protected areas. Time and again, researchers find that Grevy’s zebras migrate in areas where humans and livestock reside – placing them in direct competition for water and food.

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.

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 protected areas. Working with the community to develop income-generating projects like ecotourism will reduce the pressure on pastoralists to have more and more livestock.