The first seven Przewalski horses, in danger of extinctionthey returned to the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstanits natural habitat, within the framework of an international project in which several European countries participate, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported today.
“We have brought the horses home, to Kazakhstan. We thank our partners in Europe for this fantastic project,” Deputy Foreign Minister Román Vassilenko told EFE.
Following the successful reintroduction of the Przewalski horse into Mongoliawhere its population is increasing, the Government of Kazakhstan requested assistance from Prague Zoo for that same purpose.
In the next five years, Kazakh authorities plan to reintroduce another 40 horses to the Kostanai steppe.
The first seven specimens arrived from the Czech Republic to the Kazakh town of Arkalyk, in the central part of the country, from where they were taken to Altyn Daly (Golden Steppe, in Kazakh).
In total, several zoos are involved in the project, including those in Berlin, Nuremberg (Germany) and Hortobágy (Hungary). Also collaborating with the initiative are the Zoological Society of Frankfurt (Germany), the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of Kazakhstan, the Prague Zoo, and the Kazakh Biodiversity Conservation Association.
Przewalski’s horse practically disappeared completely from the wild in the late 1960s.. Special programs in European zoos have created a captive population strong enough to be reintroduced to countries where the species used to live.
A Przewalski’s horse named Zeta II leaves its transport box upon arrival at the Alibi reintroduction center in the Altyn Dala area, Kazakhstan, June 4, 2024.
Photo:EFE
Przewalski’s horseEquus przewalskii Poljakov) It was included as a rare and endangered animal species in 2021 and is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).
The steppe territory of the Altyn Dala state nature reserve in the Kostanay region, created in 2012 with a total area of 489,766 hectares, was chosen as the horse release zone.
Recently, Kazakh scientists and representatives of the Republic’s Ministry of Ecology decided to also use the Kazakh name of “Kerkulan” for the description of the Przewalski horse.
EFE
