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Scientific
Name: Equus ferus przewalskii
Size: 1.4 metres at shoulder
Weight: 350 kgs
IUCN Endangered Species?: Extinct in the
Wild
Estimated Wild Population: Reintroduced
Population of between 150 and 200
Distribution: Mongolia
Description: All
captive Prezewalski’s horse are descended from an initial group of
just 12 animals. A
reintroduction programme started in the early 1990s has returned a small
number to their natural, Mongolian habitat. Unfortunately, the Mongolian steppes where they originally
lived are also threatened so a special reserve had to be created in
order to house these horses. The
Przewalski’s horse, or takhi, became extinct in 1969.
Some have even now been introduced into European countries,
including England where a very similar species once roamed.
Here, they help with the management of grassland ecosystems where
many different threatened species thrive.
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