Karoo National Park
Encyclopedia
The Karoo National Park, founded in 1979, is a wildlife reserve in the isolated Karoo
area of the Western Cape
, South Africa
near Beaufort West
. The area is mostly semi-desert and is well known for its isolation. The national park
is home of many desert mammals, along with the Verreaux's Eagle
and various species of tortoise
, for the park lays claim to having the most of these species of any national park. Endangered species such as the Black Rhinoceros
and Riverine Rabbit
have been successfully resettled here.
Many fossil
s have been uncovered at both the national park and its surrounding area, of which some are estimated at almost three-hundred million years old. Most fossils date from the Mesozoic Era in the history of Earth
. During this period, the area was covered by sea, depositing its sediment atop the dead creatures. The area then became volcanic and as the sandstone eroded away, it left the conical and table-shaped mountains that are characteristic of Karoo.
Karoo National Park is also known for its connection with the Quagga Project
, a project run by Reinhold Rau
to bring back an animal that looked and acted as much like the extinct quagga
as possible. In 1998, fourteen quagga-like zebra
s were released into the park and, in January 2005, the most quagga-like foal was born, with narrower and fainter stripes in a more limited area of its body. This led Rau to predict that a full quagga would emerge by the fourth generation of breeding.
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
area of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
near Beaufort West
Beaufort West
Beaufort West is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 37 000 inhabitants in 2001....
. The area is mostly semi-desert and is well known for its isolation. The national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
is home of many desert mammals, along with the Verreaux's Eagle
Verreaux's Eagle
Verreaux's Eagle , alternatively known as the Black Eagle , is a large bird of prey. This eagle lives in hilly and mountaineous regions of southern and eastern Africa , and very locally in Western Asia.- Description :It is long. Males weigh and females weigh...
and various species of tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
, for the park lays claim to having the most of these species of any national park. Endangered species such as the Black Rhinoceros
Black Rhinoceros
The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...
and Riverine Rabbit
Riverine Rabbit
The Riverine Rabbit , also known as the Bushman Rabbit or Bushman Hare, is one of the rarest and most endangered mammals in the world, with probably no more than 200 individuals left. This rabbit has an extremely limited distribution area, found only in the central and southern regions of the Karoo...
have been successfully resettled here.
Many fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been uncovered at both the national park and its surrounding area, of which some are estimated at almost three-hundred million years old. Most fossils date from the Mesozoic Era in the history of Earth
History of Earth
The history of the Earth describes the most important events and fundamental stages in the development of the planet Earth from its formation 4.578 billion years ago to the present day. Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to the understanding of the main events of the Earth's...
. During this period, the area was covered by sea, depositing its sediment atop the dead creatures. The area then became volcanic and as the sandstone eroded away, it left the conical and table-shaped mountains that are characteristic of Karoo.
Karoo National Park is also known for its connection with the Quagga Project
Quagga
The quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only...
, a project run by Reinhold Rau
Reinhold Rau
Reinhold Rau was a well-known South African natural historian. He was born near Frankfurt, Germany. He was trained as a fossil preparator at Senckenberg Museum and joined the South African Museum in 1951....
to bring back an animal that looked and acted as much like the extinct quagga
Quagga
The quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only...
as possible. In 1998, fourteen quagga-like zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s were released into the park and, in January 2005, the most quagga-like foal was born, with narrower and fainter stripes in a more limited area of its body. This led Rau to predict that a full quagga would emerge by the fourth generation of breeding.