The Grévy's zebra was known to the Europeans in antiquity and was used by the Romans in circuses.
It was subsequently forgotten in the Western world for a thousand years.
In the seventeenth century, the king of Shoa (now central Ethiopia) exported two zebras; one to the Sultan of Turkey and another to the Dutch governor of Jakarta.
A century later, in 1882, the government of Abyssinia sent one to French president Jules Grévy.
It was at that time that the animal was recognised as its own species and named in Grévy's honour.
The Grévy's zebra was known to the Europeans in antiquity and was used by the Romans in circuses. It was subsequently forgotten in the Western world for a thousand years. In the seventeenth century, the king of Shoa (now central Ethiopia) exported two zebras; one to the Sultan of Turkey and another to the Dutch governor of Jakarta. A century later, in 1882, the government of Abyssinia sent one to French president Jules Grévy. It was at that time that the animal was recognised as its own species and named in Grévy's honour.
Grévy's zebra