A total of 12 Przewalski's horses were released into the wild on Tuesday in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as part of efforts to restore the population of this critically endangered species.
Together with the six released on February 28 this year, these horses will form three herds.
With the addition of two foals born to the released horses, the wild population of Przewalski's horses in Ningxia's Helan Mountain Nature Reserve has reached 20, representing a significant increase in their numbers.
The Przewalski's horse is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species and is under first-class national protection.
Once extinct in China due to excessive poaching and environmental degradation, Przewalski's horses were reintroduced to the country from Britain, Germany, and the United States starting in the mid-1980s. They were raised in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province.
On April 13 this year, a Przewalski's horse gave birth to a foal, marking the first case of breeding in China after reintroducing the wild horse subspecies in the nature reserve.
12 Przewalski's horses released into wild in Ningxia
