The Przewalski's Rise from Extinction

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/przewalskis-horse/

  Native to the grassy steppes of central Asia, Equus ferus przewalskii (Przewalski’s Wild Horse, pronounced: shi-vol-ski), also known as the Dzungarian horse or Takhi, is the last truly wild horse species. (Mustangs are derived from feral horses who were either released or escaped captivity as early back as the Spanish invasion of the Americas and are not a truly wild subspecies of Equus ferus and are the same as domestic horses). This Equine is a part of a family of animals that includes domesticated horses, Asses, Onager, Kiang, and three Zebra species. Genetic evidence suggests that the Przewalski was involved with the taming and breeding of domestic horses.*

  The Przewalski began to decline in the early 1900’s due to hunting, and through habitat destruction from herders and their domesticated animals. While all sorts of animals were brought with the nomadic herders, it is thought that the domestic horse is what threatened this species the most, vying for the same niche, and interbreeding (with the larger domestic breed being able to outcompete native stallions and take over herds) causing the gene pool to thin. 

  Declared Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN in the 60’s, the Przewalski’s population was reduced to a mere 13 breeding individuals in zoos worldwide. 

  After careful management of the last individuals held in captivity, their numbers have increased across zoos and breeding facilities. In 1990 the first herd of horses was reintroduced into Mongolia in a reserve set aside specifically for them.  More releases since then have helped bring the wild population up, and in 2011, the IUCN reclassified the species from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered. **

*New studies published at the very start of this year suggest otherwise, and as more research is conducted in this area of horse genetics, I will talk about the new findings.

**This whole post was adapted form an assignment I submitted for a university course

http://thehighlandtimes.com/lifestyle-news/2017/06/02/rare-przewalski’s-horse-foal-born-at-highland-wildlife-park/