#burchell's zebra

Burchell's zebras Equus quagga burchellii often have somewhat sparse striping compared to other subspecies of plains zebra, but these individuals are beyond the norm. These animals are part of a selective breeding program running since the late 1980s, aimed at recreating the phenotype of an extinct subspecies of plains zebra, the quagga Equus quagga quagga. It is important to note that the Quagga Project zebras are an attempt to produce Burchell's zebra that have the appearance of their extinct relative; the project is NOT recreating quaggas - extinction is forever. It's also worth pointing out that, so far, most of the zebras produced through this selective breeding - even those that are more "quagga-like" than the ones shown here - have a fairly superficial resemblance to true quaggas.