In a joint effort of the Kazakh government’s forestry and wildlife committee, the Prague zoo, the Tierpark Berlin zoo, the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, 7 Przewalski horses have been released to their native grounds in Kazakhstan. The wild horses had roamed the vast grasslands of central Asia for thousands of years but disappeared from the Kazakh steppes 200 years ago.
It is thought the ancestral lineage of Przewalski’s horses split from that of the modern domesticated horses between 160,000 and 38,000 years ago. They were first domesticated 5,500 years ago in northern Kazakhstan. However, as the years went by, they became rarer and rarer until they completely disappeared from the Kazakh steppes two centuries ago. By 1960, all Przewalski’s horses in the wild were gone and only a handful survived in zoos and nature reserves.
In what is seen as an important step in biodiversity conservation, 7 Przewalski’s horses have now been returned to their native grounds in Kazakhstan. Four mares were flown over from the Tierpark Berlin Zoo, one stallion and two other mares from the Prague Zoo. “The horses spread seeds in their dung and when they dig up plants, they help the water get down into the soil. They also fertilise the steppe with their dung”, Filip Mašek, Prague Zoo’s spokesperson, said in a statement.
For me, the goal of a modern zoo is not just about protecting and breeding endangered species, it is about returning them to the wild where they belong.
Filip Mašek, Prague Zoo spokesperson
For the Prague Zoo, it wasn’t their first time participating in such a reintroduction project. Between 2011 and 2019, they were an important part of reintroducing Przewalski horses to Mongolia. “A few years ago, we carried out nine to ten transports of Przewalski’s horses to Mongolia,” said the director of Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek. “When two years ago, we were approached by Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko to assist in bringing the horses to Kazakhstan, we started preparing for it with great pleasure. Of course, we had to overcome many obstacles and many still lie ahead.”
The severe floods, which hit Kazakhstan earlier this spring, were a last-minute obstacle in the reintroduction project. The damage to the Alibi reproduction centre in particular cast some doubts over whether or not the scheduled transport should take place. However, apart from the fact that one stallion had to be left behind in the Prague Zoo because he didn’t want to stand up, everything went according to plan.
Over the next few years, a total of 40 Przewalski’s horses should be reintroduced to the Kazakh steppe. Ypsilonk, Zeta II, Zorro, Tessa, Sary, Wespe and Umbra – and their offspring – will be closely monitored and will hopefully lie at the base of a new wild horse herd in Kazakhstan.
