We celebrate the arrival of 100 education sculptures for Marwell’s Zany Zebras!

We created a spectacular 33-metre-high zebra portrait to celebrate the arrival of 100 education sculptures for Marwell’s Zany Zebras!

With help from HMS Collingwood, Marwell staff used the 100 sculptures to create large white stripes on the zebra. They also added a splash of colourful stripes so it looked just like our Marwell’s Zany Zebras poster boy ‘Gilbert’.

Watch the video of the portrait being made here  

These Grevy’s zebra sculptures are for schools and youth groups who have signed up to the Marwell’s Zany Zebras education programme. They will soon be decorating the white sculptures with their best ‘zany’ designs ready for a spectacular trail around shops and businesses in Southampton next summer. 

The Marwell’s Zany Zebras team has been overwhelmed by the response to the education programme with 100 schools and community groups jumping at the chance to get involved with the South’s MANE event for 2016. Each will receive an Education toolkit designed to develop learning, and an outreach visit from the Marwell’s Zany Zebras Education Ranger. 

The zebra sculptures decorated by the schools and youth groups will complement the trail of large sculptures that will be displayed in Southampton city centre next summer.  Businesses can sponsor these large sculptures and so far 29 organisations in the south have joined the stampede. 

In addition to the trail in Southampton, the designs of the large sculptures will be replicated onto miniatures which will be hidden within Marwell Zoo itself.

Marwell’s Go! Rhinos trail in 2013 was enjoyed by over 250,000 visitors and residents. The project ignited community spirit, showcased the city and put smiles of hundreds of thousands of faces. We hope Marwell’s Zany Zebras will be even bigger!

Kirstie Mathieson, Marwell’s Zany Zebras project manager said: “Our Marwell’s Zany Zebras project is a unique way to learn about Grevy’s zebras – it’s creative, interactive and fun. Once the trail goes live, hundreds of thousands of people will be able to enjoy the work that pupils have produced. We can’t wait to see what designs the schools and youth groups involved come up with.”

“From solicitors to shopping centres, sporting venues to theatres we have businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes joining Marwell’s Zany Zebras. We have 29 sponsors on board so far and we are expecting many more. The more sponsors there are the more sculptures there will be and the greater the trail and the bigger the spectacle. If your company’s not involved already I urge to join the stampede, it’s going to be wild!”

Grevy’s zebra facts 

• They are the biggest and most distinctive of the three species of zebra found across Africa. 
• They can run at speeds of up to 40mph. 
• A Grevy’s zebra foal can stand 6 minutes after it is born and run after only 45 minutes! 
• Grevy’s zebra are found in dry rangelands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya, and they are specially adapted to these harsh conditions. They can go for four or five days without drinking. 
• Marwell helped to create and implement the national plan for Grevy’s zebra conservation in Kenya. 
• Sadly numbers of Grevy’s zebra have declined rapidly over the past 40 years. There are still fewer Grevy’s zebra than there are black rhino in Africa.