Rare Wild Horses Brought Back From The Brink Of Extinction

Rare Wild Horses Brought Back From The Brink Of Extinction AG WORLD 26-3-23 Environmentalists are always reminding us about the growing number of threatened and endangered species in the world. But the story of Przewalski ("shaw-vol-ski") horses is a success story that shows how we can sometimes save a species from extinction. Thanks to decades of effort by zookeepers, wildlife biologists and others interested in conservation in Europe, North America and Australia, growing herds of the oldest and only remaining truly wild horse species again roam the grassy Mongolian Steppe, in a 150,000-acre national preserve set aside primarily for re-establishment of the "original" wild horse. Przewalskis are considered by some scientists to be the wild ancestor of all domestic horses. The Mongolian breed was once so close to extinction that scientists had all but given up on saving it. At the end of World War II, only 12 Przewalskis remained in captivity, mostly in zoos (three studs and nine mares). Credit for discovering the species goes to Russian naturalist Col. Nicolai Przewalski, who first observed them in 1878 while exploring Mongolia for the Czar. The sturdily built animals differ from domestic horses in appearance and in genetics. Genetically, they have 66 chromosomes, while domestic horses have only 64. Crosses with domestic horses are fertile and have 65 chromosomes. In appearance, Przewalski horses have stiff, upright manes, like zebras, and no forelock. Their jaws and skulls are thicker than those of domestic horses. Their tails extend from the body a short distance before long tail hair begins. They stand 12 to 14 hands and are typically dun or beige-brown, with a lighter colored muzzle and a darker mane and tail, and a black stripe extending over the back from mane to tail. They also have stripes on their legs. To save the rare breed, a private organization called the Foundation Reserves for the Przewalski Horse (FRPH) was formed to reintroduce the species back to its native habitat. Funds were raised to increase the captive-born herd and to find a safe reserve in which to release horses back into the wild. With so few of the horses surviving in the mid 20th century, an international stud book and registry was established. Careful breeding records were then kept and horses were exchanged between captive herds in order to avoid excessive inbreeding and maintain genetic diversity in the species. The effort to increase the size of the captive herd proved successful. Since 1992, several small groups of captive-bred horses from Holland and the Ukraine have been shipped to Mongolia for release into a 150,000-acre national park established primarily for reintroduction of the Przewalski horse. In May of last year, 20 horses, the largest group yet, were transported to Mongolia from The Netherlands. Out in the far reaches of the reserve, the first generation of horses born in the wild have begun to break off from their herds to form new groups. While European zoos have been at the center of the Przewalski's horse breeding efforts, a number of American zoos also have played a role in saving the species. The Bronx Zoo, the Catskill Game Farm (near Kingston, New York) and the San Diego Zoo have breeding herds which can be seen by the public. The National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, also has a herd, but it is not open for public view. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Foundation for the Protection and Preservation of the Przewalski Horse, Boomdik 43, 3286 LD Klaaswaal, The Netherlands (E-mail: frph@antenna.nl; Website: www.treemail.nl/takh/); or, on the Internet, look up the Smithsonian National Zoo Conservation Resource Center at www.si.edu/crc, click on animals.

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