email us: richard@zebrahides.com

Zebra Hides

African specialty Zebra hide website

Our part in conservation

Wildlife Conservation - Protecting an astounding diversity of species. 

Africa is home to many animal species with some that are facing extinction. By putting safeguards in place like training rangers, using sniffer dogs, and empowering communities, local authorities are helping to ensure Africa’s wildlife survives. Critical to protecting Africa’s wildlife are the local people. Sharing the land, often alongside each other, can lead to struggles for resources and deforestation. If people and wildlife learn to live together—inside and outside of protected areas—the future for all will thrive.

We at Zebrahide.com are located in Richards Bay, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa and surrounded by many small, medium and large Game Reserves. Some of these game reserves are hunting reserves that breed Game animals such as Zebra for commercial purposes and as there is a monetary value associated with these Game these farmers continue to increase their stock supply. The funds obtained from the sale of live Zebra, bringing in hunters for trophy hunts, the sale of meat to the meat industry both locally and internationally and the sale of hides and horns inject much needed money back to these farmers who in turn create employment and sustain the population of game animals in Southern Africa.

We work with these farmers as well as government conservation authorities and buy/sell and trade in these hides thus injecting funds to continue thel efforts needed to conserve our wildlife.

Permits

We are registered will KZN Wildlife in South Africa that allow us to sell Game skin and Game products. All documents are obtained by us through them to allow the Zebra hides, game skins and animal by-products into your country. There is nothing that you need to do from your side and all documents are handle by us.

Other information

Zebra Facts

Some experts say that there are four species of zebras

  • Grevy's zebra
  • Plains zebra (Burchell Zebra)
  • Mountain zebra
  • Hartmann Zebra

and that Hartmann's zebra is a subspecies of mountain zebra. Other experts say Hartmann's zebra is a separate species. So depending who you ask, there are 3 or 4 species

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Perissodactyla

Family: A group of animals within an order...Equidae

Genus: A group of animals within a family...Equus

Scientific Name: 

Equus zebra, Equus quagga, Equus grevyi

Common Name: Most widely used name for the species...Zebra

Location: Eastern and Southern Africa

Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives. Open grassland and plains

Colour: The colour of the animal's coat - Black, White, Brown

Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal - Hair

Size (L): How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is - 2m - 2.75m (6.6ft - 9ft)

Weight: The measurement of how heavy the animal is - 220kg - 405kg (485lbs - 893lbs)

Top Speed: 40kph (25mph)

Diet: What kind of foods the animal eats - Herbivore, Grasses, Leaves, Buds.

Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal - Lions, Leopards, Hyenas

Hartmann Zebra

Burchell Zebra hideBurchell Zebra drinkingBurchell zebra couple

African Burchell Zebra

Facts on Burchell Zebra

Scientific Name: Equus burchellii

The Burchell’s Zebra are not endangered and it is legal to sell or own a zebra skin.

The Burchell’s Zebra lives in small family units, which typically consist of one stallion and one mare with their foals. Non-breeding stallions occur in bachelor groups. Herd stallions are between four to 12 years old. The body stripes of the Burchell Zebra extend around the belly and stripes on the legs are less prominent, they measures 1.3 to 1.4 meters at the shoulder and weighs 300-320 Kg.

Burchell Zebra are predominantly a grazer, feeding in areas with short grass. They have a strong sensitive upper lip with which it gathers herbage by collecting the grass between the lip and the lower incisors before plucking the harvest. This species is the largest of the two distinct species inhabiting South Africa’s wild life domain The ranges of the Burchell’s Zebra inhabits savannah, from treeless grasslands to open woodlands; they sometimes occur in tens of thousands in migratory herds on the Serengeti plains. Zebras are important prey for lions and hyenas, and to a lesser extent for hunting dogs, leopards and cheetahs. When a family group is attacked, the members form a semicircle, face the predator and watch it, ready to bite or strike should the attack continue. If one of the family is injured the rest will often encircle it to protect it from further attack.

Burchell’s zebra was thought to become extinct in 1918, when the last Burchell’s zebra died at the Berlin Zoo. But after many reports came from Africa about sightings of Burchell’s it showed that Burchell’s were not only still alive in the wild, but thriving in the areas of Etosha and Kwazulu-Natal.

Burchell zebra coupleZebra face

Facts on Hartmann Zebra

Scientific Name: Equus zebra hartmannae

The Hartmann’s Zebra is a mountain zebra, indigenous to South Africa and Namibia and part of Angola.

Hartmann Zebra are on the CITES II list and are protected. These hides do require CITES export and Import permits to be allowed into your country. Hartmann Zebra hides can legally be traded within South Africa without any permits.

The Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra is a fairly large-sized donkey-like member of the horse family, with a narrow body and narrow, fast-growing hooves. The Mountain Zebras are the only zebras with a dewlap – a pendulous fold of skin under the throat, which is commonly associated with bovines. There is a grid pattern on the rump which includes a series of short transverse stripes running perpendicular to the dorsal stripe, not found on any other equine. The legs are striped to the hooves, and the belly is white. The stripes are black. The widest stripes are seen on upper hind legs.

The mountain zebra is discernible from other zebra species by the thin and relatively close-together vertical black lines on its neck and torso, which are narrower and more numerous than those of Burchell’s zebra. Adult stallions over seven years of age, can weigh as much as 343 kg. Adult stallions are 1.5 m at the shoulders, with a tail length of 500 mm and ears 280 mm long. In order to cope with the attrition of rocky terrain, the hooves of this species grows extremely fast the Hartman’s mountain zebra is adapted to rugged, broken mountain escarpments, where herds rely on areas with permanent water sources and sufficient variety and quantities of grass fodder to sustain breeding populations.

Namibia is home to the largest population of Hartmann Zebra in the world and there are strict regulations in place to ensure the continual survival of this species. Namibian conservation authorities monitor the trade in both hunting and culling of this species and only allow for a certain amount of these Zebra’s to be removed from regulated game farms. Rest assured that when purchasing a quality zebra skin from Zebrahides.com, all legalities will be taken care of in a proper manner. 

Hartmann Zebra

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Quality & grading

    We grade our hides as follows

    AA Grade
  • These are the best hides available on the market and  amount to less than 2% of the hides that we get in. Very rare, They are graded by pattern, size and lack of visible scars are the best of the best
  • A Grade
  • These hides are very high quality hides with few natural scars or any hair loss. These hides are very good hides and make for excellent rugs
  • B Grade
  • Usually smaller skins or larger skins with some natural blemishes.
  • C Grade
  • Mostly skins that are used for upholstery and are smaller or blemished Zebra skins.

Felted Hides

  • If a Zebra hide does not have felt backing this can be added. Felt backing is an additional cost of $90
  • Fun Fact

  • Why do zebras have stripes at all?
  • Scientists aren't sure, but many theories center on their utility as some form of camouflage.
  • The patterns may make it difficult for predators to identify a single animal from a running herd and distort distance at dawn and dusk.
  • Or they may dissuade insects that recognize only large areas of single-colored fur or act as a kind of natural sunscreen.
  • Because of their uniqueness, stripes may also help zebras recognize one another

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