Fed Bar Rare Zebra From Breeding

Jan. 9, 2001 -- A 4-year-old zebra named Barcode has reachedhis sexual maturity and is ready to do his part to perpetuate hisrare and threatened species.

But the federal government has banned Barcode from breeding,saying his uncertain pedigree could do more harm than good. So hespends his days roaming a northern Virginia farm, lonely andlooking for love.

“He is caught in an ethical dilemma,” said Barcode’s owner,Corine Schmitz. “He’s a stallion. His being alone, without afemale, is almost inhumane.”

Rare Breed

Barcode is a Grevy’s zebra. Only about 5,400 of them exist inthe wild, with about 200 more in North American zoos. Under federallaw they are a threatened species — not as dire as endangered, butstill protected.

Schmitz, a 37-year-old hospital nurse who trains horses as ahobby, bought Barcode three years ago from a doctor in Texas. Shesaid she did not know it was illegal under federal law for her totransport the animal to Virginia. Her intention at the time was tobreed him, or at least freeze his sperm for future breedingefforts.

“I grew up in Zaire, and I saw a lot of poaching, a lot ofdestruction of habitat,” Schmitz said. “There’s going to be lessand less genetic diversity.”

Trained Like a Horse

As she raised Barcode, Schmitz trained him like a horse andeventually learned to ride him, to the amazement of most everybodyfamiliar with equines. The two led a parade in Warrenton two yearsago, and she even completed a 35-mile endurance race.

When Schmitz learned that she had broken the law by bringingBarcode to Virginia, she contacted the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService. Normally, the government would seize an animal likeBarcode, but agents made an exception in Schmitz’s case.

“She’s obviously built a rapport with this animal. It takes along time to develop that kind of bond,” said wildlife agent MaryHolt. “The best place for that animal to be is with her.”

Holt said she and other agents made extra efforts to helpSchmitz get a special permit that would allow Barcode toparticipate in an accredited breeding program.

But his pedigree is uncertain, and experts say that breeding aGrevy’s zebra with an unknown family history could do more harmthan good to preservation efforts.

Uncertain Lineage

Michael Hutchins, director of conservation for the American Zooand Aquarium Association in Silver Spring, Md., said Barcode couldbe inbred and thereby introduce a variety of genetic defects to hisoffspring. Even if he is not inbred, he could unknowingly be bredto a family member and produce inbred offspring. DNA testing forgenetic defects in zebras is too expensive and unsophisticated tobe helpful, Hutchins said.

“My suggestion would be to have him sterilized,” he said.“There’s not a pronounced need for him in the conservationbreeding program.”

Last month, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to let Schmitzkeep Barcode but prohibited her from breeding or selling him, bothto keep the gene pool pure and to prevent Schmitz from profiting onhim.

Stolen Love

To comply with the order, Schmitz has removed a female mare thathad recently become the object of Barcode’s amorous intentions.

“A hundred years from now, they’ll look back on this inshame,” she said.