Conservation Programs

Once listed by the IUCN as “Extinct in the Wild”, successful captive breeding programmes have helped reintroduce this species to the wilds of Mongolia.

The Przewalski Horse became extinct in the wild in the 1960’s after habitat loss and hunting. Zoos have played a crucial role in bringing them back from the brink though with an international captive breeding and reintroduction program seeing Przewalski Horses once again in the National Parks of Mongolia.

Location in wild
Mongolia

Numbers in wild
1500

Threats
Hybridisation with domestic horses

Type of involvement
Captive breeding of individuals for reintroduction

Partners
NSW Minister for the Environment, the Mongolian Minister for External Relations, German businessman Christian Oswald, Taronga’s Western Plains Zoo

Threatened by an increase in human population and the subsequent cultivation of large tracts of land, the Przewalski’s horse was forced into the barren landscapes of the Dzungarian Gobi of southwest Mongolia, where water sources were scarce. Hunting by border soldiers placed even more pressure on the survival of the species, and the last truly wild animal was seen near a spring in1969.

However, in 1900, an animal trader had sold some Przewalski’s horse foals to zoos and wildlife parks throughout Europe – these were to become the ancestors of the species as it exists today. Despite descending from only thirteen ancestors, and after more than thirteen generations in captivity, the reintroduction of Przewalski’s horse, through careful management and planning, appears to be of great success. However, the Przewalski’s horse are still amongst the most threatened animals in the world, with only around 1500 individuals remaining.

Monarto Zoo played an important role in the return of this species to its natural habitat in Mongolia. Three Monarto-bred horses were transferred to Taronga’s Western Plains Zoo to form part of a re-introduction herd – two of these Monarto-bred horses, and seven mares in total, were eventually released into the 1.2 million hectare Takhyn Tal Reserve in the Mongolian Gobi in 1995. 

After the successful reintroduction programmes, the IUCN has reassessed this species, and it is now listed as “Critically Endangered”, rather than “Extinct in the Wild.”

Monarto Zoo holds the largest number of Przewalski’s horse in Australia today, and continues to breed with two births in the last twelve months.