TEHRAN –Persian zebra was about to go extinct in Kavir National Park, Semnan province, almost three decades ago, but successful conservation efforts have brought them back to life, with their population increasing from 13 individuals in the Iranian year 1363 (1984-1985) to 55 this year.
The conservation efforts include reintroducing the species, breeding in captivity, and transferring them from different habitats to the national park, IRNA reported.
Monitoring water resources, veterinary quarantine, physical protection of the habitat, and the gradual release of zebras are among the other important measures taken in the conservation program.
The Persian zebra is a subspecies of onager, which is critically in danger of extinction. Onagers used to have a large population in West Asia, Central Asia, and China, but now it has become extinct in most areas.
The low population of zebras is due to several reasons. They have poor reproduction ability, with one out of every three foals of this species surviving.
The probability of male zebra foal survival is poor because the male zebra does not accept the male foal and kills it, causing a decline in the zebra population.
The long gestation period and a lack of twin pregnancies are the other effective factors in the low population of zebras in Iran.
MT/MG
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
