The Quagga (Equus quagga quagga) was a unique subspecies of zebra historically native to the arid plains of South Africa. Distinguished by a distinct coat pattern, the animal once roamed the Karoo region in large numbers. Although hunted to extinction in the late 19th century, the Quagga is now the subject of a pioneering conservation effort. Scientists and conservationists are engaged in a breeding initiative aiming to restore the animal’s characteristic appearance and reintroduce it to its former habitat.
Defining the Quagga
The Quagga was taxonomically classified as the southernmost subspecies of the Plains Zebra (Equus quagga). This distinction was confirmed decades after its disappearance through genetic analysis. Its unique appearance involved a striking gradient of stripes that only covered the front half of its body, with heavy, dark stripes marking the head, neck, and forequarters.
Moving toward the rear, the stripes rapidly became fainter and wider-spaced, eventually fading completely into a plain, reddish-brown or sandy color over the hindquarters and legs. This distinct coloration made the Quagga appear part zebra and part horse, differentiating it visually from other Plains Zebra populations, whose stripes typically cover the entire body.
Quaggas were endemic to the grasslands and arid interior scrubland of the Karoo and the southern Orange Free State in South Africa. They lived in social herds, often numbering between 30 and 50 individuals, moving across the open veld. As grazers, they fed primarily on the sparse grasses of the semi-desert region, a behavior that ultimately led to conflict with human settlers.
History of Extinction
The Quagga’s extinction was a direct result of European settlement in South Africa, which accelerated in the 17th century. Farmers perceived the animals as direct competition for grazing land needed by their domestic livestock, primarily sheep and goats. This view led to widespread and organized culling of the Quagga population.
Settlers hunted the Quagga extensively for its meat and hide, which was used for leather and grain bags. Because the species was confined to a relatively small geographic range, relentless hunting pressure caused a rapid decline throughout the 19th century. Conservation efforts were non-existent, partly because the Quagga was often confused with other zebra types, and its distinct status was not recognized until it was too late.
By 1878, the last known Quagga in the wild had been killed, marking the species’ total extirpation from its natural environment. The only surviving individuals were a small number held in European zoos. The final Quagga, a female living in the Natura Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, died on August 12, 1883, signaling the complete extinction of the subspecies.
The Quagga Project
In the late 20th century, the Quagga became the subject of a unique conservation strategy known as the Quagga Project, launched in South Africa in 1987. This initiative was founded on the scientific discovery that the Quagga was a subspecies of the Plains Zebra, confirmed by mitochondrial DNA analysis in 1984. This meant the genes responsible for the Quagga’s distinctive coat pattern were likely still present, though diluted, within the Plains Zebra gene pool.
The project’s goal is to recreate the Quagga’s appearance, or phenotype, through selective breeding. Researchers identified a founder population of Plains Zebras that exhibited reduced striping on their hindquarters and legs. By selectively breeding these individuals over successive generations, the project aims to concentrate the genes that produce the Quagga’s characteristic pattern of heavy front stripes and a plain, brown rear.
The animals resulting from this selective breeding program are officially named “Rau Quaggas,” in honor of the project’s founder, naturalist Reinhold Rau. Within just a few generations, the project began to see success, with foals born exhibiting significantly reduced striping, closely resembling preserved skins and historical photographs of the original Quagga. The first quagga-like foal was born in 1988, and by the fourth and fifth generations, the resemblance was substantial.
The Quagga Project is now focused on increasing the population size of the Rau Quaggas and reintroducing the animals to their historic range in the Karoo. Small herds of Rau Quaggas have already been released into protected areas, including the Karoo National Park, where they once thrived. This effort represents an attempt to restore a lost piece of the region’s ecological heritage.