Wild horses
Przewalski's stallion from the Zurich Wilderness Park is released into the wild in Kazakhstan.
The once extinct Przewalski's horses are being reintroduced in Kazakhstan. At the beginning of June, a young stallion born in the Zurich Wilderness Park arrived safely in the reintroduction enclosure.
A young Przewalski stallion born in Langnau am Albis will soon be galloping freely across the Central Asian steppe in Kazakhstan. He was brought to Kazakhstan at the beginning of June for a reintroduction project. He is currently still in a reintroduction enclosure to get used to his habitat under supervision. The project managers have given the stallion the name "Galvan".
Przewalski's horses are the only wild horses still alive. They used to populate the steppes of Asia from Kazakhstan to China. However, since 1969 they have been considered extinct in the wild and have only survived in zoological gardens. In the meantime, the population has grown back to around 2,400 animals through targeted breeding. The Zurich Wilderness Park has also been involved in the European conservation breeding program for Przwewalski's horses since 1987.
Successful predecessor projects: Przewalski's horses in Mongolia
In the past, the Zurich Wilderness Park has already successfully participated in the reintroduction of Przewalski's horses in the Great Gobi B desert in southern Mongolia. A population of around 300 animals is now living there again.
"We are delighted that the endangered wild horses are now to find a home again in Kazakhstan," explains Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Managing Director of the Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation. "It fills us with joy and satisfaction that the Zurich Wilderness Park can contribute to rebuilding the wild population with animals that were born here." The animals for Kazakhstan come from various European countries, with Prague Zoo playing a leading role in the project.
The return of the wild horses to their original habitat has a positive effect on the flora and fauna of the steppe. The large herbivores promote vegetation diversity, reduce the risk of steppe fires and support other species by digging water holes and creating food substrates.
Donate
Would you like to support the reintroduction of Galvan (transportation and veterinary costs) and the conservation breeding of Przewalski's horses in the Zurich Wilderness Park? Thank you very much for your donation!
