Durban - The Vergelegen wine estate in Somerset West is celebrating the birth of a Rau quagga, a rare zebra sub-species.
The estate's Eben Olderwagen said the arrival of the healthy youngster is a milestone in an ambitious project, initiated by a dedicated group of conservationists in 1987, to breed an animal resembling as closely as possible the quagga.
"The young Vergelegen foal was born on December 14, after a 12-month gestation period. It was left undisturbed to bond with the other seven quagga and its sex has not yet been determined. This youngster appears very relaxed and has been accepted as one of the herd," he said.
Olderwagen said the foal has grown about 15cm taller in a month and has been spotted nibbling lucerne, in addition to suckling from its mother.
Olderwagen says management hopes that this founder herd at Vergelegen will continue to breed and, after about two years, selected quagga will be exchanged with others in the programme. This will prevent in-breeding and reinforce the quest to breed quagga as near as possible to the original species.
Olderwagen explained that quagga were hunted to extinction in the second half of the 19th century and the last known mare died in Amsterdam Zoo in 1883.
"Quagga were shorter and stockier than Southern Plains zebras, with a pale brown hide and black markings, unlike the white hide and black markings of other Plains zebras. Quagga usually have stripes on the head, neck and front portion of their bodies only," he added.
The quagga at Vergelegen, introduced from Pampoenvlei in the Atlantis/ Darling area in May last year, are located in a 180 hectare reserve with lush natural grazing, a mix of renosterbos, Boland granite fynbos and various grasses.
IOL