First Przewalski’s Horse Foals Born in the Central Kazakh Steppe

A historic moment: For the first time in around 200 years, a Przewalski’s horse has been born in central Kazakhstan. The male foal was born on August 22 at the Alibi Reintroduction Center in Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala steppe. He is the first offspring of the wild horses brought back to their original range as part of the international reintroduction project.

His mother is Tessa, a seven-year-old mare born in Berlin who traveled from Tierpark Berlin to Kazakhstan two years ago. A second male foal was born on August 30. This success was made possible by years of cooperation among zoos, conservation organizations, research institutions, and government authorities in Europe and Asia.

“The return of Przewalski’s horses is about much more than reintroducing a single species,” says Michael Brombacher, Head of the Europe Department at Frankfurt Zoological Society, which supports the reintroduction project as part of the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative. “Large wild herbivores are an important part of natural steppe ecosystems and shape these landscapes through their grazing.

“The birth of the first foals is therefore not only an important step for the wild horses, but also for the long-term restoration of the central Kazakh steppe. We are on the right track.”

This is Tessa’s first foal. Umbra, the mother of the second foal, was also brought from Berlin to Kazakhstan in 2024. Both mares were among the first seven Przewalski’s horses transported to Kazakhstan aboard a Czech military aircraft under the leadership of Prague Zoo as part of the “Return of the Wild Horses” project. The aim is to establish a stable population in the country.

Both foals are doing well and were on their feet shortly after birth. They will now grow up alongside the herd in the vast steppe, a habitat from which Przewalski’s horses had been absent for around 200 years.

“The birth of the first foal is the result of an enormous amount of work that began long before the horses arrived in Kazakhstan,” says Vera Voronova, Executive Director of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK).

“Preparing the site and infrastructure, organizing the complex logistics involved in transporting the animals, helping them acclimatize, and ensuring their daily monitoring and care by specialists were all essential to the horses’ successful adaptation to their new environment. A new task now lies ahead of us: monitoring the growth and development of the first Przewalski’s horses born in Kazakhstan.

“We hope that this first generation will lay the foundation for a self-sustaining population.”

The Przewalski’s horse (Equus przewalskii) is considered the world’s last remaining true wild horse. After the species became extinct in the wild in the second half of the 20th century, it survived only thanks to international breeding programs in zoos.

Today, the “Return of the Wild Horses” project, led by Prague Zoo, aims to permanently reestablish the species in its original range. Reintroductions have already been successful in Mongolia and China. Kazakhstan is now the third country in which Przewalski’s horses are being reestablished in their native range.

The first seven Przewalski’s horses from Tierpark Berlin and Prague Zoo arrived in Kazakhstan in 2024. They were later joined by additional animals, including horses from Nuremberg Zoo. At the Alibi Reintroduction Center, they were initially housed in large acclimatization enclosures.

There, they spent a year adapting to the climate, landscape, and natural conditions of their new home. Temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius and the harsh conditions of the Kazakh steppe place particular demands on the animals.

Anne Dohrmann, Project Officer at Frankfurt Zoological Society, recalls: “When the first wild horses set their hooves on the Kazakh steppe again around two years ago, we longed for the day when the first foal would be born here. Today, that vision has become a reality. For our entire team, this is a very emotional and hopeful moment.

“The two foals are living proof of what we can achieve together, both for the wild horses and for the Altyn Dala ecosystem.”

FZS has been working in central Kazakhstan since 2006 and is a founding member of the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative.

The reintroduction project is part of the initiative and is embedded in a comprehensive approach to restoring the steppe ecosystems of Central Asia. This also includes the recovery of saiga antelope populations.

As large herbivores, Przewalski’s horses help keep the landscape open, disperse seeds, and create habitats for many other species. They may also help limit the spread of fires across the steppe. By grazing, they keep the grass short, potentially reducing the amount of combustible plant material.

In addition to Przewalski’s horses, the initiative is supporting the reintroduction of another important grazing species that had disappeared from the central Kazakh steppe: the Asian wild ass, also known as the kulan.

“The birth of a Przewalski’s horse foal in central Kazakhstan after centuries is both an important and a very joyful milestone,” says Lenka Poliaková, Director of Prague Zoo.

“It is only one of many steps on the path toward successfully reintroducing this species to the Altyn Dala steppe, but it is an absolutely essential milestone. News such as the birth of this foal gives everyone involved in the project renewed energy to continue along this path.”

“The birth of this foal is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when zoos, conservation organizations, scientists, and government authorities work together over the long term,” emphasizes Dr. Andreas Knieriem, Director of Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin.

“It motivates us to continue our work with determination. After all, the greatest achievement in species conservation is not successfully breeding a species under human care, but enabling it to live once again in the place where it originally belonged.”

Dr. Dag Encke, Executive Director of Nuremberg Zoo, is optimistic: “The birth of the two foals makes us very confident that, thanks to decades of international efforts in this project and the tireless commitment of our partners on the ground, we will achieve our shared goal: reintroducing large herbivores to the Kazakh steppe and preserving this unique habitat.”

Julia Bohner, a veterinarian at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), says: “During their first year in Kazakhstan, we closely supported the horses as they adapted to their new environment and were responsible for their veterinary care. The fact that the animals have settled so well into their new home, successfully reproduced, and now given birth to the first foals is an especially meaningful sign for us.

“It shows that we are on the right track and gives us hope that many more foals will follow in the coming years.”

The reintroduction of Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan is a collaboration involving the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Prague Zoo, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Tierpark Berlin, Nuremberg Zoo, and Hortobágy National Park.

The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) provides scientific and veterinary support to the project.

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was established in 2005 to protect and restore Kazakhstan’s unique steppe ecosystems. It was recognized as a UN World Restoration Flagship in 2023 and awarded the Earthshot Prize in 2024. The consortium’s long-term goal is to release a total of 40 to 45 wild horses into the Turgai steppe in central Kazakhstan by 2029.