Quagga: An Animal Brought Back From Extinction?

The quagga, a uniquely South African animal, was recklessly hunted to extinction in the late 1800s. When the last captive quagga died in 1883 at a zoo in Amsterdam, few people even realised that the species had been lost.

In the late 1960s, a taxidermist working for the South African Museum, dismantled and remounted a quagga foal at the museum. While doing this, he saved some tissue samples. He was convinced that quagga were a subspecies of 'regular' zebra, and could thus be ‘rebred’ and literally, brought back to life. It turns out that he was correct.

The Quagga Project was officially launched in South Africa in 1987 and it aims to recreate quagga by selective breeding from plains zebra; ultimately returning quagga to the wild.

Take this class and learn about the quagga and the progress of the Quagga Project.

My classes are well structured and are discussion-based. We will follow a presentation and have discussions about each animal. We will also complete activities during class and each learner will have the opportunity to share their learning. The children are welcome to ask questions and share their thoughts throughout the class time. The aim of my classes is to provide children with a space where they feel comfortable enough to share their prior knowledge and learn some new things too.

I strive to make my classes as safe and inclusive as possible for all my learners. In my class, all individuals, identities and abilities are welcomed and embraced.