Przewalski's horse were recently extinct in the wild, but have been reintroduced.
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Przewalski's Horse
Equus ferus przewalskii
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Subspecies: There are no subspecies of Przewalski's horse. The names Asiatic wild horse,
Mongolian wild horse,and Mongolian takh all refer to Przewalski's horse.
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Distribution: Przewalski's horses occurred in western Mongolia, northern China, and
eastern Kazakhstan. Today, those areas contain reintroduced, or soon to be reintroduced, populations,
as well as southern Uzbekistan.
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Ecology:
Rating a species' favored habitat is difficult when the last confirmed observation in the wild was
in 1969. Were the remaining individuals in the best habitat available, or in marginal habitat
of less interest for other uses by humans? Regardless, Przewalski's horses are thought to favor
semi-arid and arid steppe grasslands. They may have been forced into more arid habitats than are
ideal as their numbers declined, but experts do not agree. Breeding ecology is only known from
captive individuals, or inferred from comparisons with other species. Research is ongoing to
explore behavior for Przewalski's horse, including breeding behavior.
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Conservation Status:
As of 1999, there were 1590 Przewalski's horses in captivity. An extensive and active breeding
program that focuses upon using modern programs to optimize genetic diversity is in place. Such
concern is fitting for a population that once numbered 12 individuals. Reintroduction
activities are ongoing within the horse's historic range, as well as beyond its range.
In releases to-date, animals have been released into very large enclosures to acclimate, prior
to being released into the wild. The limited releases that have occurred have been successful,
yielding small but growing populations that must be closely monitored.
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Recommendations:
Two main foci are of conservation concern; as one may predict, maintaining genetic diversity of
the captive population of Przewalski's horse is important, as is continuing effective reintroductions
into the wild. Close attention to the Przewalski's studbook and pedigree history, including tracking
the proportion of domestic horse genes in the pool, aids in conservation. Molecular analyses will
be important in this effort. Efforts must continue
to identify appropriate reintroduction sites within the historic range of the species. Those
populations that are reintroduced should be monitored, including their growth, behavior, and
health status.
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Distribution and information were summarized from Wakefield and others (2002), Chapter 7 of the
Equid Action Plan.
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