Mountain Zebra National Park - Earning Our Stripes - Spring Part 6

For years, I’ve lived by the motto, “Have a passport, will travel.” Recently, we renewed our Wild Card, a key that unlocks the gates to all our Game reserves, nature reserves, and Cape Nature reserves. This not only makes our park visits budget-friendly but also easily accessible. And that’s precisely what we’ll be doing as we eagerly anticipate our journey “home” to the Western Cape, a prospect that fills us with eager anticipation and excitement.

The old Green Mamba, our South African passports, could be stowed in a safe place. We will not be needing them for the foreseeable future. My heart lurched at the thought, but plenty of excitement awaits, no matter where we are. Similarly, the Honey Badger, our trusty vehicle, was on a mission to reach its destination.

We were well and truly back in South Africa, and according to the GPS, we are currently in the Barkly East district.

The town lies at the southern tip of the Drakensberg, on the Langkloofspruit, a tributary of the Kraai River, which, in turn, is a tributary of the Orange River. It is situated at an elevation of 1,790 meters above sea level, offering a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscape.

Rugged mountains and green valleys characterise Barkly East. Snow falls in winter, and the hamlet of Rhodes is an hour’s drive from Barkly East on the R396. Both are within the boundaries of the Senqu Local Municipality, and then we rumbled through Aliwal North, and all I could focus on was the Church!

It’s a region that offers a diverse and adventurous range of activities, from winter sports to summer pastimes like fly fishing for Rainbow trout and indigenous Smallmouth yellowfish, trail running, mountain biking, and tennis, promising an adventure for any nature enthusiast.

The primary economic base of the district is sheep farming. Much of the landscape was still sporting its winter coat, a term we use to describe the brownish hue of the grass and the absence of lush greenery, with only small patches of apple green while waiting for the summer rains before new grasses would shoot in earnest.

At the Valschfontein Farm sign, we turned in for the night. The friendly farmer welcomed us and showed us to our campsite. There are campsites, chalets and a caravan set up for guests.

We awoke to a white blanket of thick mist the next morning and decided to set off early. Our destination? The Mountain Zebra National Park.

Far off on the horizon, the familiar Lesotho hat-like koppies of the Karoo beckoned (similar to the Three Sisters near Laingsburg)  in the Enoch Mgijima district near Cradock.

The Honey Badger was on a mission to reach its destination, and we flew through the beautiful town of Cradock, “steeped in history,” so quickly that I didn’t even have time to photograph any of the historic buildings, museums, or the Olive Schreiner house.

The proverbial horse’s head had turned, and it was heading home. No time for a quick lunch, I was told. We’d settle in, and then bro’ would light the fire for an early supper, “a simple yet satisfying meal under the open sky,” he promised.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes game viewing a splendid thing at sunrise. I couldn’t argue with this train of thought, especially when it meant we could witness the park come alive with the first light of the day.

While Butch booked us in, I perused the visitors’ book. The addresses of recent visitors blew me away. Quebec, Idaho, Washington, Las Vegas, Durango, Colorado, Aztec, New Mexico, Dresden, to name but a few. Wow. Who would’ve guessed?

We were off to a good start, I realised, as I read the comments. Everyone was impressed; one person said, “Dreams do come true!” The pages were filled with comments like “brilliant, Amazing, impressive, beautiful, and the best park.”

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Cape Mountain Zebra

“The Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) is a subspecies of mountain zebra and occurs in mountainous regions of our Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.

It is the smallest of all zebra species and also the most geographically restricted. Although once nearly driven to extinction, the population has been increased by several conservation methods and is now classified as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN.

Like all Zebra species, the Cape mountain zebra has a characteristic black and white striping pattern on its hide, and like our fingerprints, these markings are unique to each individual.

As with other mountain Zebras, they are medium-sized, thinner with narrower hooves than the common plains Zebra, and have a white belly like the Grévy’s zebra.

The Cape mountain zebra differs slightly from the Hartmann’s subspecies, being stockier and having longer ears and a larger dewlap. Adults have a shoulder height of approximately 128 cm, making them the smallest subspecies of zebra.

There is slight sexual dimorphism, with mares having a mass of around 234 kg and stallions weighing around 255 kg.

If you’re curious about why zebras always look so well-fed, here is an explanation;

A: “It’s not because they eat more than their fair share! Zebras, just like horses, have only one single stomach (unlike ruminants). They have to graze a lot for lean times ahead, so they often look fat. (A ruminant is an even-toed ungulate mammal that chews the cud regurgitated from its rumen – it keeps a few leftovers for later, in other words!) Ruminants are made up of cattle, sheep, antelopes, deer, giraffes, and their relatives.” From The Zambezi Elephant Fund’s post.

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Earning their Stripes:

Stripes of the Cape subspecies are narrower and more numerous than those of the other two zebra species, although slightly wider than those of the Hartmann’s subspecies.

Stripes on the head are the narrowest, followed by those on the body. Much broader, horizontal stripes are found in the hind area of the Cape mountain zebra, lacking the “shadow stripes” seen in the plains zebra. Stripes on the hind legs are broader than those of the front legs, and striping continues all the way down to the hooves. However, the dark vertical stripes stop abruptly at the flanks, leaving the belly white.”

The Cape mountain zebra’s diet consists mainly of grasses. It is a highly selective feeder, showing a preference for greener, leafy plants, particularly the South African red grass and the weeping lovegrass. However, in habitats such as fynbos, mountain zebra have also been found to feed on young restio shoots, as well as underground bulbs.

Interestingly, it has been observed that the Cape subspecies feeds at a relatively high level off the ground. This means that increasing the abundance of low-level grazers, such as springbok, will reduce grass height to a level lower than the zebra’s biting height, which could have detrimental consequences for the population.

The Cape mountain zebra is not territorial, and its populations consist of two groups: breeding groups and bachelor groups. A breeding herd consists of a mature stallion and up to five mares and their foals.

Stallions that cannot obtain mares associate with bachelor groups. Once established, breeding groups typically stay together for many years; one stallion in the Mountain Zebra National Park is known to have stayed with his herd for more than a decade until he was at least 17 years old.

Foals leave their herds on their own accord at around 22 months of age, and unlike the Hartmann, whose mares force foals out, stallions of the Cape subspecies actually prevent them from leaving. This behaviour could be a mechanism to avoid inbreeding.

If two breeding herds meet, the stallions of each herd will approach each other and engage in a challenging ritual, including body rubbing, touching noses, and nasogenital contact.

 A dominance hierarchy exists, but does not seem to correlate with leadership, which is selected randomly. It has been observed that the social hierarchy can change due to the birth of a foal: while fertile, lower-ranking mares can threaten higher-ranking ones, and mares with newborn foals are highly aggressive towards other members of the herd.

(These are not entirely my observations, but confirmed by Wikipedia!)

Looking back at my photographs, I realise that at the MZP the visitor’s focus is on Zebras, and we were privy to all their antics. We concentrated on their behaviour, watching a calf follow its mother. We were fascinated by them taking a dust bath and watched with bated breath as two males fought for dominance. 

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Mountain Zebra National Park

It was established in July 1937 to provide a safe haven for the endangered Cape Mountain Zebra and is part of the Mountain Zebra-Camdeboo National Park, also known as the Mountain Zebra-Camdeboo Protected Environment.

In the early 1930s, the Cape mountain zebra was on the brink of extinction. The National Parks Board of Trustees proclaimed a 17.12 km2 area for the zebra’s preservation in 1938 and purchased the farm Babylons Toren, Cradock.  

At the time, there were only five stallions and one mare, which was insufficient to expand the population. By 1950, only two stallions remained, and a neighbouring farmer, Mr H.L. Lombard, improved the breeding pool by donating eleven zebras to the park, five stallions and six mares.

By 1964, there were only 25 zebras in the park. At this time, the park’s size was increased, and Paul Michau donated six zebras to the park.  In 1975, the zebras were reintroduced to the Western Cape at the De Hoop Nature Reserve.

Since 1978, the capture and relocation of mountain zebras to new habitats have been a routine part of the park’s management. A decade ago, the park’s herd had increased to over 700 animals. Approximately 20 animals are relocated each year. Over the years, additional farms have been acquired to expand the park’s size to its current 284 km² (110 sq mi).

We spotted a few other mammals in the park. Still, the array of mammals roaming the fields included caracals, Cape Buffaloes, black Rhinoceroses (dehorned), black wildebeests, red hartebeests, gemsboks, and grey rheboks.

Southeast African cheetahs were reintroduced to the area, and in 2013, three lions were released into the area. Not to worry, a predator-proof fence prevents the large predators from entering neighbouring farmland. The camps in the park have also been fenced.

A highlight for visitors is a “close-up experience with a cheetah.” As mentioned in the visitor’s book. Unfortunately, we didn’t encounter any cheetahs but we were spoilt for choice with all the other wildlife we encountered.

Butch bravely alighted from the truck and nonchalantly leaned against the sign warning guests that lions roam the plains. Soon, I was following suit, of course, and snapped a picture of the Honey badger from a distance to prove my point.

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Our Stay

My greatest fear as a young schoolgirl returning to boarding school after the holidays was always that I’d return to no friends. Somehow, I believed everyone would’ve moved on, formed new friendships during the hols, and I’d be all alone in the great big world of a friendless boarder.

Although I did not consciously think this now, I suppose subconsciously I was already thinking about our return to the old life we’d left behind. Many things had changed; Butch had retired, we’d given up our home in Worcester, we’d sold our home in Onrus, and as people do, everyone had moved on.

Three years in the life of a friendship or acquaintance is a considerable amount of time, considering we’d missed Christmases, New Year’s Eve parties, weddings, funerals (the event we most often frequent nowadays), school reunions and family gatherings. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

At teatime, I heard a knock at our door and a tentative “hallo, Maricha?” My goodness, it was my school friend Wendy Kakebeeke Coles and her delightful husband, Reggie.

They knew it was us as soon as they spotted the Honey Badger! Seeing Wendy was as if a lifeline had been flung in my direction, and all I had to do was put out my arm and grab it to be saved!

She still had her pretty smile, and her freckles had not vanished with the years. Wendy and I met in 1970 at Pretoria Girls’ High, she a day bug. Lucky fish. And lo and behold, Wendy and I walked through the gates of Rhenish in Stellenbosch together in 1972! Unbeknownst to either of us, our families would move to the Western Cape during the December holidays. Serene Wendy, a constant in my life.

One evening, Butch and I went for a walk and decided to stop by the campsite’s shop for dessert, a delicious ice cream cone. Out of the blue, I heard a woman’s voice call, “Maricha?”

I recognised her immediately, Anita Upton, nee Immelman, and her husband, Greg. Fifty years of separation vanished in the blink of an eye. All the diners in the restaurant stopped talking, set their cutlery down, turned and watched as I launched myself into Anita’s arms.

Over the last half-century, I have often thought of Anita, she who was the majorette captain of our drum majorettes, and me, bringing up the rear. I can still see her swinging her baton, then twirling it and flinging it up into the air as we marched, effortlessly catching it without missing a beat.

And there we go. True friendships never fade, and the right people will always be there at the right moment to soothe hearts and minds. I know it because I’ve experienced it happening.

Our campsite was fabulous. The modern, revamped facilities are excellent. I recall loading the washing machine on a few occasions and meeting other campers there as well.

Tourism infrastructure:

Every day, while driving the dirt roads up steep climbs, taking it slower on the plateaus, and crawling down the winding paths, we’d mention our astonishment at the diverse landscape: the rolling hills, the deep valleys, the scrublands, and the abundance of wildlife for an area that’s supposedly a desert-like landscape. 

The Karoo can be described as semiarid and is best characterised by its vegetation, which consists of a diverse array of succulents and low scrub bushes spaced from one foot to several feet apart.

If ever there was a perfect reintroduction to life in South Africa, this was it. The Mountain Zebra National Park is one of the places I’d return to in a heartbeat.

I loved the serenity, open spaces, Karoo landscape, sunny days, and cool nights - all the ingredients needed to bring out the very best in us, visitors, and the delightful staff.

Many visitors return to the park annually. I can see why.

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On our way out, we waved to Reg and Wendy, who were also packing up. They were heading north while we were going south to the Addo Elephant Park. Only later did I realise we had not taken the obligatory selfie this time. I might not have photographic evidence, but the memory is indelible in my heart and mind.

The Cape Robin Chat, a daily visitor and my spirit animal, should’ve reminded me that all would be well, but I was too caught up in my insecurities and the snake was the sign, one can overcome one’s fear (easier said than done, I'm still struggling with the snake!)

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