Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West is now home to seven Rau quagga, a zebra sub-species that was hunted to extinction about 150 years ago.
The relocation of these rare animals is the latest milestone in an ambitious project, initiated in 1987, to bring the quagga back from extinction and introduce them to reserves similar to their former habitat. One stallion, five mares and a foal now roam the 180 ha reserve at the local estate.
Quagga once roamed South Africa in large herds, particularly in the Karoo and southern Free State, until they were hunted out in the second half of the 19th century. The last known mare died in Amsterdam Zoo in 1883.
The seven animals from the Quagga Project were transported from Pampoenvlei in the Atlantis/Darling area on Tuesday 10 May. They are now settling down in the reserve area, which includes natural grazing and plentiful water from the farm’s Langkloof Dam and share the area with five eland that were introduced to the estate in 2020. The eland form part of the Gantouw Project, which researches ways in which grazing animals can naturally boost ecosystem diversity.
“We first discussed introducing more species to our reserve, in addition to the eland, in early 2021,” said Eben Olderwagen, Environmental Manager at Vergelegen.“We were put in contact with March Turnbull, Director of the Quagga Project, and there was immediate interest from both parties.”
Four of the Vergelegen mares are pregnant and should foal between October and December, added Olderwagen.
Potential introductions of historically naturally occurring species at Vergelegen could also include black rhino, Cape buffalo, hippo and the geometric tortoise.
