Przewalski’s Horse horse initiative joins European Rewilding Network

Supporting the recovery of Przewalski’s horses

French NGO takkh Established in 1990 to support the reintroduction of Przewalski’s horses from France to Mongolia. In 1993, TAKH was responsible for the transfer of 11 zoo-born horses to a 400-hectare reserve on the Kosmejan Plateau. Cevennes National Park.22 horses were subsequently transferred to homintal reserve In 2004 and 2005, the Mongolian horse herd had grown to 100 horses by 2020.

Today, TAKH has a broader mission. The NGO’s goal is to maintain a viable population of Przewalski’s horses in Causse Méjean, of which 36 are currently living in the park, as a gene pool for further translocations.Additionally, they are working to assess and enhance the beneficial effects of natural grazing By Przewalski’s Horse in European steppe landscapes, animals are regularly sent and exchanged in collaboration with other rewilding initiatives.

TAKH has also invested more than €3 million in renovating an abandoned village in the area, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the village is a center for Przewalski’s horse scientific exchange among a wide range of stakeholders. As horses are one of the main attractions of the Cevennes National Park, they help drive nature-based tourism and provide valuable income to local communities.

mutual benefit

TAKH just joined Rewilding Europe European Rewilding Network as its 93^RD Members, network members are located in 29 European countries. Other members are also involved in rewilding horses and other large herbivores to enhance natural grazing, and the addition of France’s initiative will strengthen the network’s collective expertise and aid the TAKH team’s rewilding efforts.

“Becoming a member of the European Rewilding Network will allow TAKH to expand its Przewalski’s horse conservation mission by sharing common experiences and information on potential translocation sites with new partners,” said Jean-Louis Perrin, Executive Director of TAKH. “It will ensure that we The survivability of the herd will allow us to move horses before reaching maximum capacity at our own sites, which in turn will increase the genetic diversity of the global Przewalski’s horse population. It will accelerate our plans to demonstrate large, free-ranging horses. The network will also help build partnerships in science and conservation, education and nature tourism.”

The decline and rise of Przewalski’s horse

Endangered subspecies of wild horse (Equus), this Przewalski’s horse (Przewalski’s horse) is the last true wild horse in the world. Once thought to be the ancestors of domestic horses, they are actually distant cousins ​​with different numbers of chromosomes. They once roamed in herds across the vast steppes of Eurasia, from the Ural Mountains to Mongolia, but changes in land use, military activity, hunting, harsh winters and capture led to their extinction. The last reported sighting of a wild Przewalski’s horse was in Mongolia in 1969.

Through breeding programs, zoos and sanctuaries around the world have played an important role in preventing the complete extinction of Przewalski’s horses and allowing the animal to make a comeback. The approximately 3,000 Przewalski’s horses alive today are all descendants of the 14 founders who were captured in the wild between 1910 and 1960. It is vital to maintain and enhance the genetic diversity of the Przewalski’s horse herd through the exchange of information, expertise and animals. Ensure the health and viability of the subspecies.

Przewalski’s horses in the Iberian Highlands

2023several herds of Przewalski’s horses were released go through Rewilding Spain inside iberian highlands Spanish wild landscapes from azure mountain reserve in France, and Hortobágy National Park in Hungary. More horses may be purchased from TAKH in the future. When horses are released in the Iberian Highlands to roam free across vast areas, they will help reduce wildfire risk, increase biodiversity, promote nature-based tourism and environmental education, and improve the conservation status of the animals.

The Iberian Peninsula was once roamed by wild horses whose physical characteristics were very similar to those of Przewalski’s horses, as evidenced by carvings and cave paintings, e.g. altamira. However, these disappeared about 4,000 years ago. As livestock numbers in the Iberian highlands have declined significantly due to rural depopulation, Przewalski’s horses would have served the same ecological role as the extinct Iberian horses and more modern domesticated herbivores.Restoration of natural processes – e.g. natural grazing and scavenging – is an important component of the overall rewilding vision of the Iberian Highlands rewilding landscape, enhancing the diversity, resilience and functionality of wild nature and the benefits it provides to local communities.

Let’s rewild together

Rewilding Europe warmly welcomes and encourages all European rewilding initiatives that focus on practical, results-oriented rewilding Apply for European Rewilding Network membership.

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