Endangered Ark

Przewalski’s Horse

Equus przewalskii

5 of Diamonds

Art by Heather Bruton

http://www.heatherbruton.com

heatherbruton@gmail.com

Ontario, Canada

The Przewalski’s horse is also known as the Takhi or Yehman in its native land of China and Mongolia. At home in the central Asian Steppes, they are a true wild horse and have never been successfully domesticated. One of only two species of wild horse (the extinct Tarpan being the other), it is the closest wild relative to the domestic horse.

Przewalski’s horses live much like feral domestic horses, with a band stallion, a group of mares and their offspring. The herd will hold a well defined home range and wander freely within that area. The Przewalski is named after Russin General Nikolai Przehvasky, an explorer and naturalist who described the wild horse in 1881. He captured and placed a number of them in zoos and 12-15 reproduced forming the basis for most of today’s population.

In the wild, the numbers fell in the 20th century and eventually dropped to zero in the 1960’s. The last wild herd was sighted in 1967, with the last horse dying in 1969 with only two captive breeding populations remaining at the time. A determined effort started by Jan and Inge Bourman established a breeding programme and stud book recordkeeping. This lead to an international push to create a stable population and reduce the effects of inbreeding.

In 1992, sixteen horses were released in Mongolia, followed by additional numbers in protected areas of their previous range. The released animals have breed well and and the population is steadily increasing. While they still face threats, including hybridization with domestic horses, the future prospects look positive. In 2008 they were removed from the “extinct in the wild” status to “critically endangered”.