{"id":1176,"date":"2013-03-25T03:56:53","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T07:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/ragastal\/?page_id=1176"},"modified":"2013-07-03T10:33:08","modified_gmt":"2013-07-03T14:33:08","slug":"mountain-zebra","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/ragastal\/travels\/south-africa\/parks-reserves\/mountain-zebra\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Zebra"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MZNP_Zebra\"<\/a>Mountain Zebra National Park is located just 12 km from Craddock in the Karoo desert, a place of rolling plains, craggy hills, and deep valleys. The park, a haven for the Cape Mountain Zebra, began on 1712 hectares dedicated to the region\u2019s animal conservation in 1937.\u00a0 If it weren\u2019t for the conservation efforts of the area\u2019s farmers to protect a small herds of the endangered Cape mountain zebra, this species would have been extirpated from the region.\u00a0 Today, the Park\u2019s Cape Mountain Zebra herd numbers more than 700 animals.<\/p>\n

\"MtZebraPark\"<\/a>It wasn\u2019t until 60 years later, though, that the park was able to expand its holdings and increase its conservation efforts due to a joint public-private initiative.\u00a0 The artist, David Shepherd, donated prints of his works \u201cMountain Zebra: A Vision in Black and White\u201d and \u201cCheetahs\u201d to raise money for the purchase of surrounding farmlands and expand the size of the Park. With matching funds from the South African National Parks Trust, the park was increased to 28,412 hectares.\u00a0 At that time, black rhino, Cape buffalo and cheetah were introduced.<\/p>\n

\"MtZebra_Bontebok\"<\/a>The area experiences a warm and dry climate with an annual rainfall of <400 mm, falling mostly in the beginning of the summer months.\u00a0 During the winter, snow can fall at higher altitudes, blanketing the mountain peaks, and days commonly are icy-cold.\u00a0 Due to these extremes, plants that grow in the region belong to the Renosterveld and Fynbos types.<\/p>\n

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\"MtZebra_Bontebok_Rainbow\"<\/a>During the Later Stone Age, San inhabitants lived in the area and during an archeological survey in the 1970s, 30 sites were located. These range from small rock shelters in which San rock art is conserved, and 27 open sites from which Holocene-aged scrapers and other artefacts discovered were recovered.\u00a0 Shelter paintings are of antelope, baboon, a large cat\u2013 possibly a leopard or cheetah\u2013and human figures.<\/p>\n