Adopt a Zebra

Zebras are losing ground. Zebras are among Africa’s most recognisable animals, but their wild populations face an increasingly uncertain future.

The most threatened of the three species, the Grevy’s zebra, has declined by around 75% since the 1970s, with fewer than 3,000 now thought to remain in the wild.

Across Africa, zebras are threatened by habitat loss, hunting, prolonged drought and competition with livestock for food and water. Roads, fences and expanding development can also divide their habitat and block the seasonal routes they depend upon.

How your zebra adoption helps overseas

In January 2015, The Aspinall Foundation helped transfer three male Grevy’s zebras – Babati, Karumwa and Casper – from Port Lympne Reserve to the DECAN wildlife refuge in Djibouti, Africa.

After travelling approximately 5,800 miles from Kent, the zebras began new lives in spacious, protected African surroundings within their species’ historic range.

Grevy’s zebras had disappeared from Djibouti, and the arrival of the three males helped reinforce a small managed population of this endangered species in the Horn of Africa. Their move formed part of wider efforts at DECAN to protect Djibouti’s native wildlife and raise awareness of species that had become rare or vanished from the country.

The transfer gave Babati, Karumwa and Casper the opportunity to leave captivity in the UK and live in a more natural environment, while helping keep the plight of Grevy’s zebras visible in a region they once inhabited.

Protecting zebras at Loskop

Wild zebras live at Loskop Dam Nature Reserve in South Africa, where conservation work led by WeWild Africa and funded by The Aspinall Foundation is helping keep wildlife safe.

Ranger patrols, tighter access controls, vehicle checks and monitoring technology are helping deter poaching, illegal entry and other wildlife crime across the reserve.

By strengthening protection across the landscape, the project is helping give zebras and many other species the security they need to live, graze and thrive in the wild.

Adopt a zebra with The Aspinall Foundation and help protect wild animals and the landscapes they depend upon.

Fun facts about zebras

• Every zebra has its own unique pattern of stripes, helping individuals recognise one another.
• A group of zebras are called a 'dazzle'.
• Zebras communicate through brays, barks, snorts and soft “whuffing” sounds, as well as facial expressions and body language.
• Zebras are members of the horse family, alongside horses and donkeys.
• Zebra foals usually have soft, brown-and-white stripes when they are born. They can walk within around 20 minutes and run after approximately an hour.
• Plains and mountain zebras usually live in family groups made up of a stallion, several mares and their young.
• The position of a zebra’s ears can reveal its mood. Ears held flat against the head can signal anger or warn another zebra to keep its distance.
• Grevy’s zebras are the largest zebra species and can be recognised by their narrow stripes and unusually large, rounded ears.
• Although their coats are black and white, zebras have dark skin underneath their fur.