Hungarian conservation project sends Przewalski’s horse back to native steppe in Kazakhstan
In a major step for wildlife conservation, a group of Przewalski’s horses bred in Hungary’s Hortobágy National Park will be reintroduced to the wild in Kazakhstan this June. Once extinct in the wild, Przewalski’s horse is now making a comeback thanks to international breeding and rewilding efforts.
Przewalski’s horses reintroduced to Kazakhstan
As HVG reports, Przewalski’s horses, the last remaining truly wild horse species, are set to be reintroduced to Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala reserve this June. This monumental effort, announced jointly by the Hortobágy National Park Directorate and the Budapest Zoo, marks a major step in international conservation. The horses being relocated are descendants of a small group that has thrived in Hungary’s Hortobágy National Park since 1997, where they were allowed to roam freely in a 3,000-hectare enclosure. Their population has grown tenfold since then, proving the success of carefully managed rewilding initiatives.
The role of zoos
Péter Csobán of the Hortobágy National Park Directorate emphasised that Przewalski’s horse would likely be extinct without zoos and breeding programmes. Once native to Inner Asia, the species vanished in the 20th century due to habitat loss, hunting, and competition with domestic livestock. Beyond their rarity, these horses play a crucial ecological role, helping to maintain grassland biodiversity and supporting other species. The individuals chosen for reintroduction are young mares of high genetic value, selected to give the new Kazakhstani population the best chance of survival.
The reintroduction process
Endre Sós from the Budapest Zoo confirmed that the horses will undergo quarantine and health screening before their journey, which will include an airlift by the Czech Air Force and ground transport lasting up to 12 hours. Their return to the wild follows a broader trend of reintroducing captive-bred animals to former habitats, a process that began for this species in the 1990s and has already seen success in Mongolia.
About the breed
Przewalski’s horse is the only extant species of truly wild horse, never domesticated, and distinct from feral domestic horses. Named after the Russian explorer Nikolai Przewalski, who first documented the species in the 19th century, it once roamed the Central Asian steppes. The species vanished from the wild by the 1960s but survived in captivity thanks to coordinated breeding efforts by zoos worldwide.
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