Przewalski’s horse stallions at the Prague Zoo breeding and acclimatization station in Dolní Dobřejov. The entire transport begins there. Photo Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
The return of the wild horses continues this year! The transport of Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan, directed by Prague Zoo and its partners, will begin next week. This will happen almost exactly fifteen years after the first Prague transport of horses to Mongolia. Eight passengers – for the first time ever, four stallions and four mares – will head to the Golden Steppe aboard a CASA aircraft of the Czech Army. On Sunday, May 31, the military aircraft will first transport four horses from Prague and then return to the German capital for four individuals prepared at the Tierpark Berlin there.
“The return of wild horses, initiated fifteen years ago by my predecessor Miroslav Bobek, is the flagship of Prague Zoo’s rescue projects. We will continue this world-famous and recognized initiative until there is a basis for a viable population of this still endangered species in the wilds of central Kazakhstan,” says Prague Zoo Director Lenka Poliaková.
The return of wild horses to Kazakhstan began in 2024. During two transports, fourteen horses were successfully brought to the Golden Steppe, from which Przewalski’s horses disappeared due to human activity more than two hundred years ago. In order for the population there to be genetically variable, it is necessary to transport a sufficient number of Przewalski’s horses from farms across Europe.
For the media: A press conference just before the departure of the Przewalski’s horses will take place at Prague-Kbely Airport on Sunday, May 31. The meeting will be held in the parking lot at the entrance to the military complex at 11:45. In addition to representatives of the Prague Zoo, representatives of the Prague City Hall and the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Czech Republic will also attend.
Candidates for transport to Kazakhstan. They are currently undergoing the necessary pre-departure quarantine. Photo Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
Please send applications for press accreditation to the e-mail masek@zoopraha.cz strictly by Friday, May 29, at 12:00. In addition to your full name and telephone number, please provide your ID card number. If you plan to arrive by car, you must also send the name of the car’s make and license plate number.
Partners of this year’s transport of Przewalski’s horses
The Prague Zoo maintains the International Stud Book of the Przewalski’s horse and also its EEP (EAZA Ex situ programme = European breeding programme). After World War II, it played a crucial role in saving the Przewalski’s horse. Later, it gave rise to the idea of its reintroduction, in which it subsequently became involved. Its nine transports of Przewalski’s horses from Europe to western Mongolia in 2011–2019 were very significant. Now, in addition to the transports of Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan, it is preparing a reintroduction project for eastern Mongolia, in the so-called Valley of Monasteries.
The Association for the Protection of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) is a national non-profit organization aimed at preserving biodiversity and educating the population. The Return of Wild Horses project is part of its long-term efforts to reconstruct the original steppe communities in the country in a broader perspective. ACBK is behind the construction of the necessary infrastructure in the Altyn Dala State Nature Reserve. It was used in the past for the reintroduction of kulans in cooperation with the FZS.
The Forestry and Wildlife Committee (FWC) is a state department under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its task is the management and protection of nature and specially protected areas. His appeal to Prague Zoo in the fall of 2022 initiated the Return of Wild Horses to Kazakhstan project.
The author of the visual for this year’s transport is Czech naturalist, writer and illustrator Jan Dungel. Source Prague Zoo
Tierpark Berlin is a zoo that has previously participated in the breeding, management and reintroduction of various animal species, and has also cooperated in the protection of the Przewalski’s horse. As part of the Return of Wild Horses project, it provides horses from its own breeding, brings candidates from other European institutions to its breeding facility, and directly participates in their transport to Kazakhstan.
The Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) is an international organization coordinating projects for the protection of endangered species and ecosystems in 18 countries around the world. In Kazakhstan, it participates in the protection of Tatar saigas and kulans. In 2006, it co-founded the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (ADCI).
The Air Force of the Czech Republic, specifically the 24th Transport Air Force Base located at Prague-Kbely Airport, ensures the transport of horses to Kazakhstan. They have also collaborated with Prague Zoo in the past, including on the transport of the lowland gorilla Duni and nine transports of Przewalski’s horses to western Mongolia.