The Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), also known as “takhi” in Mongolian, is considered to be the last and only remaining wild horse speci
The Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), also known as “takhi” in Mongolian, is considered to be the last and only remaining wild horse species in the world. Once found throughout the steppes of western Europe and Asia, by the early 1960s, Przewalski’s horses were only found in Mongolia’s Gobi region. By 1969, they were declared extinct in the wild. In the early 1900s, however, 53 Przewalski’s horse foals had been shipped to Europe from the Gobi, where they were kept in zoos and privately-held “parks.” Of those, only 12 produced foals. Nevertheless, by the mid-1980s, the captive population grew to over 1, 1992, reintroduction of Przewalski’s horses was begun in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. At that time, 16 Przewalski´s horses from the Netherlands were successfully transported to Hustain Nuruu--which later became Hustai National Park (HNP)--in central Mongolia. The reintroduction was accomplished in association with the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse and the Mongolian Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment. Every two years, beginning in 1992 and continuing into 2000, Przewalski’s horses from European countries were reintroduced into HNP. By 2002, the population of Przewalski’s horses in the park increased from the original 84 to 150. The number is now 380. This includes 34 breeding harems and more than 80 young stallions. Mongolia is the only place in the world where Przewalski’s horses exist within their historic range; HNP is home to the world’s largest number of Przewalski’s horses in the wild.
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Photo credit: © andrew chittock / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: animals, equus, ferus, gobi, hores, horses, hustai, mongolis, national, park, przewalsk, przewalski’, region, species, takhi, wild, wildlife
