Why did I get suddenly more paragon

When you reset a game you will get Karma and Paragon.

Karma: Karma is gained when you reset with more than 35 kittens. Karma gives +10% happiness for having it, and 1% happiness for each point as well. This does have a diminishing effect to keep it from becoming too over powering. The exact numbers on the diminishing effect are currently unknown.

• 40 kittens -> 1.00 Karma
• 50 kittens -> 2.00 Karma
• 62 kittens -> 3.16 karma
• 67 kittens -> 4.13 karma
• 73 kittens -> 5.07 karma
• 80 kittens -> 6.00 karma
• 89 kittens -> 7.02 karma
• 99 kittens -> 8.05 karma
• 110 kittens -> 9.00 karma
• 123 kittens -> 10.03 karma
• 137 kittens ->11.05 karma
• 152 kittens ->12.05 karma

Paragon: Paragon is received for resetting at over 70 kittens.

Every paragon point will give

• 1% global production bonus
• 0.1% storage capacity

Why would you reset?

The reason a person would reset a game is to earn everything faster. Yes you have to start over again, but with all the extra happines, the production bonus and the extra storage capacity everything will go faster.

Also for getting some achievements it is neccesary to reset the game.

Reset or Wipe?

There is a difference between resetting and wiping. When you wipe the game you will destroy all your progress. You won't get any Paragon or Karma points when you do this.

If you reset you do get Paragon points and Karma and you won't lose all your game progress.

NOTE: It'll take some time before you are back at where you are now if you reset the game, don't assume it'll go much more faster.

There is also an achievement

Lotus Eater Machine - Break the cycle of reincarnations - Obtain karma by resetting game

Source

Achievement

Paragon

Karma

I already have my first Zebra which I got when I built a ship.

This sounds to me very much like you do not have a zebra. You have instead discovered the zebra race for trading. In order to get an actual zebra joining your village, you will need to play in Iron Will mode (no huts/log houses/mansions built). You will know you've done it right when a Zebra shows up as an actual resource on the left section.

Zebras in Iron Will are a free way to get some small amount of Catpower, which is otherwise impossible without kittens. To make successive Iron Will runs a little easier, every time you reset, your maximum number of zebras will be set to your current zebra count, plus one.