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"Clearly the community took this message on board because when we returned a year later they had changed their behavior and allowed Grevy's zebras to walk with the livestock," added Rubenstein, principal investigator of the Earthwatch-supported Grevy's Zebras project.

Since 2001, teams of Earthwatch volunteers have worked with Dr. Rubenstein and his Kenyan colleagues to determine the habitat needs of Grevy's zebra populations in northern Kenya and address the local conservation concerns. Part of Earthwatch's Samburu Conservation Research Initiative, the project is a crucial element to finding sustainable livelihoods for pastoral communities in the region.

"Earthwatch volunteers working at the Lewa Conservancy were instrumental in helping us show that part of the reason that Grevy's zebras fare poorly even in the best of conditions is related to competition with plains zebras," said Rubenstein. "Their data also showed that Grevy's zebras prefer to drink during the morning, highlighting the problem of coexisting with herds of livestock outside the conservancy that occupy waterholes during the daylight hours. By having to wait until dusk to drink, Grevy's zebras face elevated risks of predation."

In March, two zookeepers from Saint Louis Zoo, two from San Diego Zoo, and one from Minnesota Zoological Park will add their special expertise to the Grevy's Zebras project. They will be able to share first-hand knowledge of Grevy's zebra conservation in captivity, and will take home valuable experience with zebra behavior and habitat needs in the wild.

Earthwatch has a long tradition of putting zookeepers in the field, including one from Saint Louis Zoo on Grevy's Zebras last year and one from Zoo New England on the same project in 2002. By ex
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Source:Earthwatch Institute