The Przewalski horse - a living fossil

The Przewalski horse (Equus przewalskii) is now the sole living species of the wild horse. It used to inhabit the extensive steppe areas of central Asia, although, from cave engravings made by prehistoric man, it can be assumed that this type of horses lived in Europe, too.
The Przewalski horse or" Takhi" was still living on the east bank of the Volga by the end of the Middle Ages. However, in the mid 19th century it could only be found on the steppes of Jungaria on the border between today's Mongolia and China. It was discovered there in 1879 by a Russian explorer, N.M. Przevalskiy. Based on the skull and hide sent to the zoological museum in Petersburg, zoologist I.S. Poliakov made a scientific description of the horse and named it in honour of the explorer, the Przewalski horse.
In the period 1889 to 1903, 54 Przewalski horses were captured, however only 13 of these survived and they became the foundation of today's population amounting to over 1500 horses.
Most likely, the Przewalski horse has become extinct in the wild. The last wild horses were seen in Mongolia in the spring of 1968 and there has been no reliable news of their existence since. The Przewalski horse has been preserved especially thanks to breeding in zoological gardens. The result of international efforts of more than 90 years was over 1000 Przewalski horses in 1990 and so it was then possible to start thinking about its reintroduction into the wild.
So far, there are three stations in Mongolia and China where horses coming from different zoological gardens are being gradually acclimatized to the severe steppe conditions. Only when they do well will they be set free.

Forrest animals

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