China has over 700 Przewalski’s horses due to conservation efforts

December 2, 2021 CEN_com Energy & Climate Change~ 0

The Przewalski’s horse species became extinct in the wild in China in the early 1980s, and the Chinese government started to re-introduce the horse breed in 1984.

Przewalski's horses were released into the Dunhuang West Lake Nature Reserve from the Wuwei Endangered Species Breeding Centre (Photo: Wuwei Endangered Species Breeding Centre).
Photo: Przewalski’s horses were released into the Dunhuang West Lake Nature Reserve from the Wuwei Endangered Species Breeding Centre (Photo: Wuwei Endangered Species Breeding Centre).

In 1986, the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding and Research Center was set up for breeding and rewilding of Przewalski’s horses and, after years’ efforts, it has made breakthroughs in releasing them into the wild.

The population of the Przewalski’s horses in China has reached over 700, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China.

“The Przewalski’s wild horse is now the only surviving wild horse breed in the world. It preserves genes from 60 million years ago, making it an important part of biodiversity,” said Yang Jianming, director of the center.

Now, the species is mainly distributed in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

SOURCE: CGTN, 30 Nov 2021. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-11-30/China-has-over-700-Przewalski-s-horses-due-to-conservation-efforts-15BFcFoQ82A/index.html

Read Chinese scientific paper: Zhigang Jiang and Hao Zong, ‘REINTRODUCTION OF THE PRZEWALSKI’S HORSE IN CHINA:STATUS QUO AND OUTLOOK’, July 2019, Nature Conservation Research https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333806527_Reintroduction_of_the_Przewalski’s_horse_in_China_status_quo_and_outlook