Zebra

Mkhamba Safaris hunts the Burchell's Zebra (Equus burchelli) in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. There are hunting packages available from Mkhamba Safaris.

Description

The stripes on a Burchell's Zebra are broader than the stripes on their cousins, and unlike their relative, they also have shadow stripes between the black stripes on their rump. They also sport a well developed upstanding mane, along the neck.

Size

The males have an average shoulder height of 1.3m, and a weight of 320kg.

Habits

These animals inhabit open woodland, open scrub and grassland, and will walk up to 12km to water. They live in family groups whose size depends on the density of the animals in a region. Stallions are known to be particularly vicious towards predators and intruders, who wander into their territory. They bite and kick, and vocalise their feelings with excited barks.

The Hunt

They are best hunted either by tracking fresh spoor from water, or by glassing (looking with binoculars) likely habitat. They do not mind the company of other grazers, and will often be found in the company of animals such as Wildebeest or Impala, which complicates the stalk.  They also have good eyesight and hearing, so hunting them is a challenge.

Minimum Caliber Rifle Required

being a larger animal, they have heavy bones and can take a lot of punishment, so it would be foolish to try to hunt these animals with a light rifle and or fragile bullets. In the opinion of Graeme, the Professional hunter, a caliber of at least a 30 06 with a well constructed bullet of 180 grain weight is required.

Cites Restriction

There are NO cites restrictions on the hunting of Zebra.