A Przewalski’s horse foal has been born in central Kazakhstan after hundreds of years. Its parents are the mare Tessa, originally from Tierpark Berlin, and the stallion Zorro, bred at the Prague Zoo. Both arrived in the country in June 2024 during the first of three transports of Przewalski’s horses to the Golden Steppe, organized by the Prague Zoo and its partners. According to initial observations, the little colt is hardy and regularly drinks milk from his mother. Together with other mares, he is currently living in an acclimatization pen at the Alibi reintroduction center on the edge of the Altyn Dala state reserve. The horses are being cared for on site by colleagues from the Association for the Protection of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK).
“The birth of the foal is one of many steps on the path to the successful reintroduction of this species into the wild of Kazakhstan, but it is a crucial milestone and also a very joyful and tangible one,” said Lenka Poliaková, director of Prague Zoo. “Restore a viable population of an extinct species in its original habitat is an exhausting mission full of challenges. But such news gives everyone involved in the Return of Wild Horses project the necessary energy to continue their efforts,” she adds.
The foal is the first Przewalski’s horse in the area from which the last wild horse on the planet disappeared more than 200 years ago. The main reason for its extinction was hunting and pressure from farmers and pet breeders.
“A Przewalski’s horse foal with Czech blood was born in the Golden Steppe, and I wish him a happy life and many siblings and, in the future, offspring. Only then will the Return of Wild Horses project, which is the flagship of Prague Zoo’s conservation initiatives, be truly successful. I would like to take this opportunity to thank once again not only our zoo team for the demanding transports, but also its visitors, because 8 CZK from each ticket goes to biodiversity protection projects,” says Jana Komrsková, Deputy Mayor of Prague for the Environment.
The foal was born on August 22. This is only the first offspring of seven-year-old Tessa, but she takes exemplary care of him. He is constantly close to him, energetically defends him from the interests of other mares, and regularly lets him drink his mother’s milk.
“The first foal was born thanks to a huge amount of work that began long before the horses arrived in Kazakhstan. Preparing the territory and infrastructure, organizing the complex logistics needed to transport the animals, acclimatizing them, daily monitoring and care provided by specialists – all this was necessary for the horses to successfully adapt. Now we have a new task: to watch how the first Przewalski horses born on Kazakh soil grow and strengthen. We hope that this first generation is the beginning of a self-sufficient population,” says ACBK Director Vera Voronova.
In addition, more foals could be added to Kazakhstan in the coming weeks. Two other mares at the Alibi reintroduction center are also expected to give birth.
The news in the new mother’s original home caused extraordinary joy: “Tessa was born in Berlin and was transported to Kazakhstan in 2024. The birth of her foal is a truly exceptional and important step for us in the long-term effort to reintroduce the Przewalski’s horse,” says Christian Kern, Zoological Director of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin. “Reintroducing wild animals into their natural habitat carries with it responsibility, challenges and risks. We are all the more pleased with this success and would like to thank all our partners very much.”
The Przewalski’s horse is the last living species of wild horse. The Western world only learned of its existence in 1881. Less than a hundred years later, in the 1960s, it was exterminated in the wild. It was saved thanks to human-assisted breeding, with Prague Zoo playing a key role in its rescue. Since 1959, it has been running the international studbook of Przewalski’s horses. Today, it is also the organizer of horse transports from Europe to their original homeland – specifically to the steppes and semi-deserts of Mongolia and Kazakhstan – in cooperation with the Air Force of the Czech Republic.
After the successful reintroduction to the Great Gobi in Mongolia, Prague Zoo began transports to the Golden Steppe in Kazakhstan in 2024, in cooperation with the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Hortobágy National Park, Nuremberg Zoo, the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the aforementioned ACBK and Tierpark Berlin.
More about Return of the Wild Horses: https://www.zoopraha.cz/navrat-divokych-koni
Photo: The first photo of a Przewalski’s horse foal born in central Kazakhstan. Photo by Kanat Batyrkhanuly, ACBK