Zebras---Can You Ever Have Too Many?
by Cynthie Fisher

OK, this opinion might be coming from my somewhat decorative and artistic perspective, but what`s not to like about zebras? I will admit that prior to my first hunting trip to Africa, I got on my moral high horse (haha) concerning all things equine and stated unequivocally that no, I would never shoot something that so closely resembled one of my favorite animals. I felt fairly confident that the mere thought of killing one of these adorable fat striped ponies would never hold any allure for me at all. Perhaps I could force myself to purchase a zebra rug in a gift shop at the airport if the opportunity presented itself, just to add to my planned safari décor in the living room. But shoot one down in cold blood? Never.

Hmmmm. I`ve heard a similar sentiment echoed by more than one Africa-bound hunter over the years. And I`ve discovered that nearly all of us abandon our noble plans to refrain from bringing a zebra home once we`re in the field and observe how beautiful, clever and elusive they can be. Thoughts turn fairly quickly from reluctance to downright anxious anticipation, hoping to outsmart them and to see that incredible coat pattern up close and personal. I`ve returned to Africa eight times now, and a zebra has come home with me after every trip.

And it`s those stripes that help to create this change in attitude. Of course we all know that no two are alike; the individual patterns enable each zebra to recognize the members of it`s family group, and help foals to follow the right mare for a snack. Not to mention, those mesmerizing stripes become a striking symbol of Africa, forever representing the romance and adventure of being in the bush. How can anyone resist?

This unique individuality has spurred my enthusiasm for collecting zebras. I can`t seem to stop. Of course, one must recognize that there are several different species worthy of collecting for any serious hunter. Most safaris set in southern Africa will include encounters with the Burchell`s zebra, surely the most colorful and one of the more abundant types. These zebras have the characteristic brown shadow stripe between the predominant black stripes on their rump and lower legs, which makes a wonderful accent with the creamy beige background color. From an artistic perspective, it`s hard to beat a Burchell`s zebra for color and drama.

In Namibia, a hunter might also get lucky enough to bag a Hartmann`s mountain zebra, which looks very different from the Burchell`s to the trained eye. Mountain zebras have much thinner stripes that end at the belly line, a lovely tan muzzle, and a funny little dewlap under their throats. Their anatomy is different too; they more closely resemble mules than horses. And they can be tough to track down, living in rocky mountainous terrain, always on the alert. The other species, the Cape mountain zebra, is pretty critically endangered at the moment, so it`s not eligible for inclusion in the zebra "slam".

Then there`s the east African variety of plains zebra, called the Grant`s zebra, which lacks any of the shadow striping, showing off it`s bold black pattern on a brilliant white background. Kenya also has an endangered species, the Grevy`s zebra, a beautiful large-bodied animal with swirling pinstripes so close together they can make your eyes hurt. The zebras in Zambia, the Selous, and Mozambique are also of slightly different subspecies, providing some more options for collectors.

Hunting zebras can be quite a challenge; they don`t just stand around on the savannah grazing like you see on the Discovery Channel. They are intelligent, in groups and always alert, and since they`re a bit taller than some of the other game species, they can spot a clumsy hunter`s moves pretty quick. Most folks try to shoot a stallion, and that can also be a challenge, since the sexes are quite similar even to an experienced eye. Stallions tend to have thicker necks and heads than the mares, and often trail the group to keep an eye out for danger. But I`ve certainly seen some hefty mares out there, and delicate stallions too. It`s a good idea to listen to your professional hunter; he`ll know which one is which. Although it doesn`t make a big difference in trophy quality with regards to which sex you end up with, some countries strictly prohibit the shooting of females of most species.

There`s always one slight snag for me in the hunting of zebras. I`ve studied their behavior and read up on their social structure, and I sometimes experience a little twinge of guilt when I shoot a stallion from a family group. Call me sentimental; I`ve read that the stallion stays with his mares for life, forming close bonds with his favorite girls...there's some evidence that removing the stallion from his family can delay the mare's breeding for up to two years while they adjust to a new leading man. The adult stallions actually don`t fight a whole lot. Once they have their little herd of three to six mares and foals they`re pretty content, and will seek each other out for a little camaraderie and male bonding. It`s those young ousted juveniles that make the trouble, since they have to prove their mettle with sparring and fighting before any adult stallion will permit them to steal one of his daughters to start a new herd. Quite the soap opera at times. I guess it`s comforting to assume that one of these enthusiastic upstarts will happily take charge of any leaderless group of mares; goodness knows there`s always plenty of bachelors waiting in the wings, and the lions don't differentiate between the boys and the girls when it comes to dinnertime.

Shot placement on a zebra can be a touchy thing. They`re fairly large, sturdy animals, and can definitely take a pounding. I`ve found the best bullet placement is to follow a straight line up the front leg, where the zebra`s stripe pattern forms a handy triangle-shaped target area about one-third of the way up the shoulder. This only works for a broadside shot, but with minimal bone and the heart and lungs within this triangle area, the zebra won`t go far when hit. I always recommend that every hunter check out Kevin Robertson`s book, The Perfect Shot, which elaborates on this placement and provides wonderful diagrams. Although I was taught to shoot behind the shoulder on North American game, I`ve found this shot straight up the leg to work much better with the amazingly resilient plains game species, and I always try to use it.

Right now I have 4 zebra head mounts and a rug, with another couple zebras at the taxidermist. I find the shoulder mounts to be incredibly beautiful and full of character, provided you have a good taxidermist who puts some extra time in to make them come alive. It may begin to look like a stable around here, but with the infinite variety in stripe patterns, each mount is a work of art to me. My only complaint is that for most of these species, their identifying markings and the most exciting patterns exist on their rump, which unfortunately gets waylaid when doing a shoulder mount. I always get the back half tanned though, for that misty day in the future when I`ll sew up some pillows or make a bedspread...yeah, right.

What`s left to get, you ask? Someday I hope to have a life-sized mount, after I find the proper skin (and a much larger house). Currently I`m on the lookout for a truly unique zebra, perhaps one where the stripe pattern, normally black on white, is reversed to white on black; I`ve seen one of these in a national park, and they really stand out. Or perhaps a partial albino or leucistic (unusually pale) animal; I observed a strange, almost white zebra with very faint stripes on my last hunt in Tanzania, but we never managed to catch up with it.

And in Namibia I`ve seen brown zebras with hardly any stripes at all on their legs and rump, harkening back to the quagga, another type of zebra/wild ass that was shot to extinction in southern Africa.

Speaking of Namibia, check this lovely out...a mostly black Burchell zebra I saw on my last trip to Etosha Park. What an addition to my collection SHE would be! Oh well, I hope her presence will mean more unusual and striking zebras in the future for all of us to enjoy. It all goes to show you, there`s lots of options out there for a true zebra collector!