Przewalski's stallion from Wildnispark Zurich released into the wild in Kazakhstan.
It is a special moment for the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation: after months of acclimatization in a specially designed enclosure, the Przewalski stallion "Galvan", born in Wildnispark Zurich, was allowed to gallop into the wild in Kazakhstan.
A new reintroduction project for Przewalski's horses was launched in Kazakhstan in 2024. The reintroduction will take place in the Altyn Dala nature reserve in the center of Kazakhstan, in the so-called "Golden Steppe". Within five years, a total of around forty animals are to be brought into the reintroduction area in order to build up a sustainable new population. Now, the second small herd was allowed to leave the acclimatization enclosure. Among them is "Galvan", a stallion born in Wildnispark Zurich. He is accompanied by four mares - Csárdás, Cili, Bűbáj and Celeb. They originally come from the Hortobágy National Park in Hungary and have been brought together with Galvan to form a harem over the last 12 months. The first matings have already been observed.
Przewalski's horses almost extinct in 1969
"Seeing free-ranging Przewalski's horses galloping across the steppe is a great experience. It makes a conservationist's heart beat faster," says Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Managing Director of the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation. These wonderful pictures are not a matter of course. Sixty years ago, these wild horses were on the verge of extinction. "I am delighted that we are able to make a contribution to this project with horses from our conservation breeding program," explains Hindenlang Clerc.
The first successful reintroduction of Przewalski's horses into the wild began in Mongolia in 1992. The Wildnispark Zurich Foundation, in collaboration with the International Thaki Group (ITG), has been intensively involved in this project for decades.
The new "Return of the Wild Horses" project in Kazakhstan was initiated by Prague Zoo and the Frankfurt Zoological Society in collaboration with other partners. Important local partners include the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity Kazakhstan (ACBK).
Endangered wild donkeys also released into the wild
At the same time as the Przewalski's horses, kulans - highly endangered Asian wild asses - are also being released into the wild in the Golden Steppe. Both species play an important role in restoring the steppe ecosystem. The large herbivores maintain biodiversity through grazing, promote the nutrient cycle, spread seeds and prevent large-scale steppe fires by eating dry biomass.
Further information
Wildnispark Zurich
Mirella Wepf, Project Manager Communications. Phone 044 722 55 24, mirella.wepf@wildnispark.ch
Project "Return of the wild horses":
Filip Mašek, Prague Zoo, masek@zoopraha.cz, tel. (+420) 770 131 110.
Pictures and videos
Material in the ZIP below
