How did the Quagga Project come about?
This unusual project evolved out of taxidermy. Through the re-mounting of 4 of the 23 preserved Quaggas between 1969 and 1981 and the examination of 22 of the preserved specimens, mainly in 1971, Reinhold Rau got to closely observe the Quagga’s morphology. Being familiar with the appearance of the Plains Zebra populations, many similarities in stripe-pattern and colouration became apparent between the extinct Quagga and certain individuals in southern populations of Plains Zebras from Etosha National Park in Namibia to the west, and Zululand in the east. These similarities, together with some other factors, inspired the attempt to breed southern Plains Zebras, aiming at retrieving and concentrating Quagga characteristics. It took 12 years to overcome many obstacles, especially strong criticism from several scientists, before the breeding project got off the ground in 1987 which aims at reversing the Quagga’s extinction.
