A Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) foal has been born in central Kazakhstan, marking the first birth of the species in an area from which the world’s last surviving wild horse disappeared more than 200 years ago. The male foal was born on 22 August to Tessa, a mare originally from Tierpark Berlin, and Zorro, a stallion from Zoo Praha.
Both parents arrived in Kazakhstan in June 2024 during the first of three transfers organised so far by Zoo Praha and its partners as part of the Return of the Wild Horses project. The programme aims to establish a viable population of Przewalski’s horses in Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe.
According to initial observations, the newborn is strong and regularly nursing from his mother. Tessa and her foal are currently staying with other mares in the acclimatisation enclosure at the Alibi Reintroduction Centre, on the edge of the Altyn Dala State Nature Reserve, where the horses are monitored by the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK).
“The birth of a foal is one of many steps on the road to successfully reintroducing this species into the wild in Kazakhstan, but it is a fundamental, joyful and very tangible milestone,” said Zoo Praha Director Lenka Poliaková.
“Restoring a viable population of an extinct species to an area where it once occurred is an exhausting mission full of challenges. News like this gives everyone involved in the Return of the Wild Horses project the energy needed to continue,” she added.
Tessa’s first foal
The young male is the first offspring of seven-year-old Tessa. Despite being a first-time mother, she is taking attentive care of him, remaining close, protecting him from the curiosity of the other mares and allowing him to nurse regularly.
The birth is the result of a project that began long before the horses reached Kazakhstan. Preparations included establishing infrastructure, organising the complex logistics required to transport the animals, managing their acclimatisation and providing continuous monitoring after their arrival.
“The first foal was born thanks to an enormous amount of work,” said ACBK Director Vera Voronova. “Now we have a new task: to monitor how the first Przewalski’s horses born on Kazakh soil grow and become stronger. We hope this first generation marks the beginning of a self-sustaining population.”
More births could follow soon. Two other mares at the Alibi Reintroduction Centre are currently expected to give birth in the coming weeks.
From extinction in the wild to a return to the steppe
Przewalski’s horse is the last surviving species of wild horse. Known to Western science since 1881, it disappeared from the wild during the 1960s. Its survival was made possible by populations maintained under human care, from which later reintroduction programmes could be established.
Zoo Praha has played a long-standing role in these efforts and has maintained the International Studbook for the Przewalski’s Horse since 1959. It now coordinates transfers of horses from Europe to steppe and semi-desert habitats in Mongolia and Kazakhstan, working with the Czech Air Force and a network of international partners.
Following its previous reintroduction work in the Great Gobi in Mongolia, Zoo Praha began transporting Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe in 2024.
The programme involves the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Hortobágy National Park, Nuremberg Zoo, the Frankfurt Zoological Society, ACBK and Tierpark Berlin.
Tessa’s origins make the birth particularly significant for the Berlin zoo as well.
“Tessa was born in Berlin and transported to Kazakhstan in 2024. The birth of her foal is a truly exceptional and important step in the long-term effort to reintroduce the Przewalski’s horse,” said Christian Kern, Zoological Director of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin.
The newborn could now represent the first step towards a new generation born directly in the Golden Steppe, with the long-term objective of establishing a population capable of sustaining itself in the region.
Photo: The first image of the Przewalski’s horse foal born in central Kazakhstan. Kanat Batyrkhanuly / ACBK
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