Przewalski's horse  (Equus ferus przewalskii)

Habitat degradation, human activities including hunting and conflict, along with competition with domestic livestock for water and forage were all thought to be responsible for driving the extinction of Przewalski's horse in the wild in the 1960s (4). Thankfully, it has been possible to reintroduce this unique survivor into the wild. However, those reintroduced populations still face threats; primarily that of hybridisation with domestic horses, along with competition with domestic horses for resources (1).

After the subspecies became Extinct in the Wild, it clung on in a number of small populations in various zoos around the world. In 1977, the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski's horse (FPPPH) was established in the Netherlands with the long-term aim of returning this ancient horse to the wild (6). At that time there were around 300 horses in zoos and parks and their breeding was managed in order to prevent inbreeding (6). In the 1990s, The Mongolian Association for Conservation of Nature and the Environment (MACNE) and the FPPPH collaborated to reintroduce a number of individuals in small herds into the Hustai National Park in central Mongolia (7). The national symbol was a welcome return to the area and part of an important drive to save the steppe biotope (6). Today, more than 120 Przewalski's horses live in Hustai and a further conservation programme run by the International Takhi Group (a consortium of European takhi breeding institutions) together with the Mongolian Commission for Endangered Species has introduced a further 50 horses to an area in the Dzungarian Gobi in Southwest Mongolia (5). The return of the Przewalski's horse to its natural environment is a success story for conservation and, despite ongoing problems, it is hoped that at least two large, self-sustained populations will soon be a reality (7).