This is a global celebration of these beloved animals, which even the youngest children can safely recognize. Its goal is to introduce these African beauties to the public, and above all, to draw attention to the fact that they are an endangered species, and that the huge black-and-white striped herds are just a distant romantic memory.
Zebras are among the even-toed ungulates and are found only in Africa, south of the Sahara. They are divided into three different species based on their appearance and area of occurrence – the Grévy's zebra, the mountain zebra and the plains zebra, which are further divided into several subspecies. In our zoos, the most common are the plains zebras, especially the Chapman's zebra and the maneless zebra, and for example, the Prague Zoo also keeps Grévy's zebras. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer zebras in the wild. The reason is mainly the transformation of the landscape that people occupy for themselves and their ranches, farms and pastures with growing herds of domestic cattle. Hunting them for their characteristic striped skin also takes its toll. It is precisely their stripes, in addition to their lifestyle and differences in voice, that distinguish zebras from each other. According to the shape and placement of the stripes, we can distinguish not only individual species and subspecies, but even individuals. Stripes are as unique as human fingerprints, and zebras can recognize each other based on them.
In the collections of our gallery, this exotic theme appeared in the work of Max Švabinský (17. 9. 1873 Kroměříž – 10. 2. 1962 Prague), who captured a fierce fight for life between a zebra and a tiger in a small lithograph. For this important Czech painter, graphic artist and engraver, a representative of historicism, realism and Art Nouveau symbolism at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, nature was a grateful and inexhaustible source of inspiration throughout his life. His life motto was: “Admire nature always and everywhere”.
Jana Bojanovská, January 31, 2025

phone number: 567 217 133; 605 221 763
bojanovska@ogv.cz