More than 200 people turned up to count the endangered Grevy's Zebra in
Laikipia county last weekend.
Also known as the imperial zebra, the Grevy's is the largest extant wild equid and the largest, most threatened species of the zebra. It is tall, has large ears, and its stripes are narrower.
The species lives in semi-arid grasslands where it feeds on grasses and legumes. It can survive up to five days without water.
The Grevy's differs from other zebra species in that it does not live in harems and has few long-lasting social bonds.
“Grevy's Zebra are special in the sense that they are beautiful," said
Princeton University's
Danie Rubenstein, one of the world’s leading experts on zebras.
"Biologists want to preserve the endangered species and so do many people with the desire to be part of wildlife conservation."
At the census, 'citizen scientists' drove through designated areas photographing the right side of each animal using a GPS-enabled digital camera.
Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern that is the best identifier.
Rubenstein noted:
“The rarity of a species serves as a wake up call. To know how the species is doing, collection of data comes in handy."
"The Great Grevy's Rally is a big operation that has never been done on such a massive scale. We are hoping to do it yearly so as to keep track of their population.”
Photographs taken during the exercise will be processed using the Image Based Ecological Information System (IBEIS), which identifies an animal, its age and sex,
and records the time and location of observation.
IBEIS uses sophisticated stripe recognition software to analyse the number of sighted and re-sighted over the weekend.
The methodology will also provide insights on the sex structure of the Grevy’s zebra population in each area to assess if the overall population is stable,
growing or decreasing.
When it comes to the sex structure, three females for every one male indicates high potential for reproduction and overall population growth.
The results will be used to estimate the size of the Grevy's zebra population throughout Kenya and help keep track of the number.
The population estimate and distribution determined will inform future conservation and management initiatives.
The Grevy zebra population has plummeted from an estimated 15,000 in the early 1980s to approximately 2,500 left in Kenya. A few others are in Ethiopia.
The Great Grevy’s Rally was organised by members of Kenya's Grevy's Zebra Technical Committee.
Grevy's Zebra Trust, Mpala Research Centre, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Marwell Wildlife and Northern Rangelands Trust's community conservancies constantly monitor Grevy's zebra populations and demographics across northern Kenya.
The results of the census will be posted on .