This thread will probably die a quick death as these general posts typically do…but here it is anyway.

I found this excellent site which would be great for anybody who wants to "read up" on their intended quary prior to heading across the pond. It lists each animal including sub-species, scientific name, SCI/RW minimums for trophy judgement, pictures, track descriptions, distribution map, notes, etc.

http://www.wild-about-you.com/AfricaGame.htm

Thanks for posting.

Thanks Bill,
I've been looking for something like that. I'll add it to my "Favorites"

Thanks, that's good information.

Yes, thank you.

BillC,

That is a very cool site. Extremely handy for quick reference.

It is now one of my "favorites."

Thanks very much.

Very nice site. Thanks for telling us about it.

Doug

Nifty, added to favourites list! Thanks.
- mike

Thanks Bill.

Very interesting, sort of reference.

I disagree with some record mensurations.

That's a cool link Bill, and I'll be adding it to my "favorites".

Keep in mind though that the "distribution map" is not correct on all the animals. But it gives a good overveiw anyway.

It's a very nice site. It's not in my "Favorites," but only because Firefox uses "Bookmarks" instead.

Thanks.

Jaywalker

Good, useful site. Thanks,

Bill

Good site, good info. Thanks for letting us know about it.

-Bob F.

Wow! Thats alot of Duiker's to collect.


Doug E

Thanks. That's a great site.

BOWHUNR

Questions:

That site claims the "Burchell's Zebra" is extinct. That came to me as a surprise. Maybe this is a duh, to some of the experienced safari hunters on this board. I seem to remember several South African safari companies claiming Burchell's as species available. Does anyone know what's up with that??? In fact, I will concede, maybe everyone else knows the answer, honestly, I don't.

Are there more than one Burchell's species? Does the pure strain not exist any longer? This seems odd. I'm really curious now.

Not that I would turn down the opportunity to harvest any zebra. I would just like to know for sure what I am most likely getting if I were to take one in RSA.

Anybody know? Thanks in advance for any answer you folks may have.

TheBigGuy,

I find that strange too. I thought Burchells Zebra were found in some parts of Namibia and RSA.

But then if you look at the resources info on North Western Buffalo for example, it says they range in the grey area pictured below:


And I can tell you that the picture is very wrong. I'd like too see the buffalo that can survive in the north half of that grey area, as it is sahel, and desert. Most of it looks like this:

The only animals you'll see up here are camels!

Thanks Bill

Very good site for reference purposes.

Brad

Thanks Bill for sharing this informative site, also thanks for the "ZIMBABWE RIFLE PERMITS" that you sent me, this saved time at Harare Airport at 9PM.
Cheers, Adam C.

quote:

Originally posted by ErikD:I find that strange too. I thought Burchells Zebra were found in some parts of Namibia and RSA.

It would appear that the "Burchell's" zebra as we refer to it in the hunting world is actually the Chapman's or Damara plains zebra (?). Check out this website: http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/zebra.html#plains

Here is an excerpt:
PLAINS ZEBRA: African equids for the most part replace one another geographically. There is a zone of overlap, however, between the Grevy's zebra and the plains zebra on the floodplain of the Ewaso Nyiro in northern Kenya. Here the two species form mixed grazing herds, but there is no record of interbreeding.

The plains zebra is the most abundant and widespread of extant wild equids, occurring throughout the tropical grasslands of East and southern Africa. It is quite stout in comparison with the Grevy's zebra. Shoulder height varies from 120 to 140 centimeters (47-55 in.), and a mature male may weigh 300 kilograms (660 lbs.). Broad vertical stripes on the sides bend on the flanks to become horizontal across the rump. Stripes extend down the rather short legs to broad hooves. The stripes on the sides continue into the short, erect mane and meet under the belly. Stripes become less distinct on subspecies in the more southerly parts of its range. The plains zebra has a "bark" quite unlike the neigh of a horse or the bray of a donkey. Plains zebra have a harem-type social organization.

The pattern of stripes on all zebras is unique to each individual, with the variation greatest in the shoulder region. This has helped researchers identify and follow individuals over the course of long-term studies and may aid foals and adult zebras of a given harem in identifying each other in the large grazing herds.

The plains zebra has differentiated into several subspecies, two of which are now extinct. The Grant's zebra (Equus burchelli boehmi) is the most common of the plains zebra subspecies. The Grant's zebra is the best studied of the plains zebras, and much of what we know of the behavior and biology of the species comes from work done with this subspecies in the wild and in zoos. With broad black stripes on a white background (Africans, reportedly, see white strips on a black background), this subspecies is the zebra most frequently seen in zoos and circuses around the world. In the wild its distribution extends from southern Sudan through East Africa south to the Zambesi River. There may be some 300,000 left in the wild; on the Serengeti-Mara Plains alone there are an estimated 150,000 plains zebras. During the rainy season in Serengeti, aggregate herds of up to 10,000 individuals may form, part of one of the last great wildlife spectacles in the world.

The Chapman's zebra or the Damara zebra (Equus burchelli antiquorum) is a subspecies of plains zebra occurring from Angola and Namibia across northern South Africa to Transvaal. It is characterized by a pattern of broad, dark stripes alternating with thin, light shadow-stripes. The stripes fade into the brownish color of the body on the hindquarters and are absent altogether on the legs.

Another southern subspecies of the plains zebra, the Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli burchelli), now extinct, lacked stripes on the hindquarters. Its basic body color was reddish-yellow. Burchell's zebra existed from southern Botswana into the Orange Free State of South Africa. As European settlement spread northward from the Cape to colonial Southern Rhodesia, this subspecies was hunted to extinction. The wild herds had disappeared by 1910, and the last known individual died in the Berlin Zoo in 1918.

The southernmost subspecies, the quagga (Equus burchelli quagga) of South Africa, is also extinct. It occurred in large numbers south of the Orange River at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but Boer settlers decimated the population for meat and hides. The quagga disappeared from the wild by 1878, and the last zoo specimen died in 1883. All that remains today are nineteen pelts, a few skulls, three photographs and a few paintings. The quagga was yellowish-brown with stripes that were confined to the head, neck and forebody. DNA from one of the pelts has been retrieved and analyzed, establishing that the quagga was, indeed, a variant of the plains zebra and not a separate species as previously believed. There is currently an experimental breeding program in progress in South Africa to try to reconstruct the quagga from the Chapman's subspecies.


I think "Burchell's" has become the generic [accepted] name for the "Plains" or "Equus burchelli" zebra, as there is only one member not extinct in the wild. Maybe one of our SA members can confirm.

Cheers!

Thanks Bill. It isn't easy when it turns out that commonly used animal names are actually wrong!

I'm pretty sure that I've seen "Burchell's Zebra" on many pricelists in southern africa. Looks like these people need to update their "sales info"!

quote:

I think "Burchell's" has become the generic [accepted] name for the "Plains" or "Equus burchelli" zebra

Correct. I hunted on the land of Fred B. Burchell, my PH in Namibia last year. He was very proud of his ancestor, William John Burchell, noted naturalist of the 19th century who gave the scientific name to many plants and animals...birds, rhino and zebra.

Zebra reference

Bill C., I would like to sqeeze your snozolla about now. I've been working on this sort of project for over a year!

Nice Find ... I wish it were sooner!

Thank you BillC,

This is more of a fascinating subject than I ever imagined. Your post explains alot. As I suspected I have learned more than I thought I might know prior to this posting.

Apparently, I gather from your above posted exerpt that the Burchell's of yesteryear is believed to be genetically buried in the surviving breeds today. Breeding efforts may recover the Burchell's Zebra from extinction.

The future may indeed hold something bright here .

What a wonderful story to be armed with when someone asks about your zebra hide.
I want one worse now.

Awesome post!
It will give me something to read on the way over.
lawndart

Hi everyone on the list

Thank you for visiting our site http://www.wild-about-you.com/AfricaGame.htm. In respect to the questions on the list I would like to clarify:

1. Distribution maps – We all know this is a highly debatable subject, but for scientific purposes we have included regions for species as per scientific data captured by various persons, organizations and research institutes (some mentioned below). As this can not always be set in stone due to deforestation, bush and desert encroachment it is only a reference for where the species have been found in the past. A good example of this is the Angolan Sable – it was thought extinct but the specie “resurfaced†beginning this year after in depth search in the remote jungles of Angola by Pedro Vaz Pinto.
2. Burchell Zebra – Bill C is correct, unfortunately people (and certain wildlife conservation bodies) are still referring to it as Burchell where it actually is not.
3. Measurements – SCI and Rowland ward measurements as per publication, if there is debates on this please email us for verification.

I hope this shed some light, we know that it is impossible to keep everybody happy but we endeavor to help with accurate and precise information. If you feel certain changes needs to be made, we will be glad to accommodate it.

Happy hunting

Some of our resources used in the compiling of this site:

International Species Information System (ISES)
Princeton University
Pretoria University
Applied Ecology Institute (IEA)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC)
British Museum of natural history
Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale
National Museum Pretoria
Kaffrarian Museum
Station Biologique de Poiunpont
Canid Specialist Group
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
SCI
Rowland Ward

Morné Fouché
Managing Member
Blue Forest Productions

quote:

Originally posted by Wild-about-you.com:
Hi everyone on the list
....
Morné Fouché
Managing Member
Blue Forest Productions

Thank you for posting. I enjoyed your website and information.