The Mountain Zebra

The mountain zebra is one of the many endangered animals around the world and is most often found in the mountains of southwest Africa. Conservation and preservation of the earth’s resources as well as the earth’s animals is a topic that is very important for helping to save the mountain zebra from extinction. The mountain zebra is characterized by the coloration of its coat which includes a stunning array of patterned stripes covering most of its head as well as its body. The mountain zebra also has very strong hooves that it uses in order to climb the mountainous terrain of its habitat. In addition to this the zebra is also characterized by its white belly that has only one black stripe on it. The Mountain Zebra eats grass and bark for the most part but it is also known to eat tree shrubs and roots. In colder weather the mountain zebra can be seen to leave its mountainous habitat and to graze in wooded areas and near caves. Often the zebra will use these caves for shelter in the winter.

The population of the mountain zebra has seriously dwindled in recent years due to a number of factors. Hunting and the zebra’s competition with other animals of its habitat have left the population of the zebra numbering around 7000 on the continent of Africa. This endangered species will be extinct if efforts to stop hunting the zebra are not realized. In addition to hunting as a cause for the dwindling population of mountain zebras in Africa, droughts are also responsible for the zebra’s decline. Global warming because of human activity is seen as a main cause for the droughts that the mountain zebras battle with on an annual basis. There have been many attempts at preserving the natural habitats of the zebras but this may prove useless if much of the hunting of the zebra is not stopped.