Distribution Population Status And Diurnal Activity Pattern Of Burchells Zebra (equus Burchelli Gray 1824) In Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary Southern Ethiopia

A study on the distribution, population status, and diurnal activity pattern of Burchell’srnzebra (Equus burchelli, Gray, 1824) was carried out in the Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary,rnSouthern Ethiopia during October, 2009 – March, 2010 including wet and dry seasons.rnDistance sampling line-transect counting method was used to estimate the populationrnstatus of Burchell’s zebra in the study area. The objectives of the study were to providerninformation on distribution, population status and diurnal activity pattern of Burchell’srnzebra in Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary. Data were analyzed using SPSS computer soft warernpackage and compared using one-way ANOVA, t-test, Tukey multiple comparison testrnand paired t-test to see differences in seasonal and hourly time budget. The sex ratio ofrnadult male to adult female was 1.00:1.27. Group size changed seasonally. The meanrnaverage group size was 12.5. Burchell’s zebras are mainly grazers. The grouprncomposition of the animal varied with season, forming large herds during the wet seasonrnand dispersing in to smaller groups during the dry season. The average herd sizes of onernmale harem and bachelor stallion herd’s were 7.8 and 5.3, respectively. The sex structurernof Burchell’s zebras was adult male 34.5%, adult female 43.7% and young unknown sexrn21.84%. Age composition of Burchell’s zebra comprised 78.2% adult, 13.0% sub-adult,rn5.3 % juvenile and 3.5% foal. The age ratio of adult to young was 1:0.25 and 1: 0.32rnduring dry and wet seasons respectively. There was no significant difference in the agernratio observed during wet and dry seasons (P > 0.05). On average, 78.2% of the totalrnpopulation was adults and only 21.8 % constituted young. The diurnal activity pattern ofrnthe animal follows the general pattern of ungulates in the Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary,rncharacterized by morning and evening activity peaks with a period of rest in the middle ofrnthe day. Distribution and vegetation utilization of the animal showed a marked preferencernfor open grassland habitat. However, there was a seasonal change in the preference ofrnhabitat. The main threats of Burchell’s zebras in the study are livestock grazing, habitatrndestruction and disturbances, bush encroachment, poaching and termite mount. The studyrnrecommends an effective and realistic management policy to control illegal humanrnsettlement and farming activities in the sanctuary.rnKeywords: Activity pattern, Burchell’s zebra, distribution, habitat preference, populationrnstatus, threat, Yabello Sanctuary.

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