Conservationists at the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in San Diego, Calif., have announced the birth of a Przewalski’s horse—a critically endangered species of wild horse that was categorized as Extinct in the wild until 1996. The foal is the first Przewalski’s horse born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park since 2014 and is one of only four individuals born in North America over the past year.
“Every birth is a tremendous moment, so we are elated by this new foal,” said Kristi Burtis, wildlife care director at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “We’ve had more than 157 Przewalski’s horses born at the Zoo and the Safari Park. They are an important wild horse species, and this new foal, along with each individual that was born at our parks, bolsters their fragile population.”
The youngster was born as part of a breeding recommendation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Przewalski’s Horse Species Survival Plan®—a program that ensures genetic diversity among Przewalski’s horse populations. Formerly extinct in the wild, the Przewalski’s horse has survived for the past 40 years almost entirely in zoos around the world, and nearly all of the surviving horses are related to 12 Przewalski’s horses born in native habitats. Ongoing reintroductions of Przewalski’s horses into their native habitats have established several herds in grasslands in China and Mongolia. However, scientists believe more work needs to be done to ensure the species’ future survival.
In the past few years, scientists have started using new tools, such as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Biodiversity Bank, to expand the strength of the species’ population. Through a collaborative effort, science teams from the nonprofit Revive & Restore, the animal cloning company ViaGen Pets & Equine, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance achieved the world’s first successfully cloned Przewalski’s horse in 2020. Kurt was born to a surrogate mother—a domestic quarter horse—and is the clone of a male Przewalski’s stallion whose DNA was cryopreserved 42 years ago in the Alliance’s Wildlife Biodiversity Bank.
“Kurt is significant to his species because he offers the hope of bringing back lost genetic diversity to the population,” said Dr. Nadine Lamberski, chief conservation and wildlife health officer for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “It is imperative to do everything we can to save this genetic diversity before it disappears.”
Safari Park guests can visit Kurt in the Central Asia savanna habitat; and see the rest of the herd, including the new foal, in the Przewalski’s horse habitat next door.
Photos Credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
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