A group of 28 Przewalski's horses on Monday embarked on a transfer journey to a nature reserve in Dunhuang City, northwest China's Gansu Province, as part of the efforts to protect the once-endangered species in the country.
The Przewalski's horse is the world's only remaining wild horse species, native to the Junggar Basin in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous and parts of Mongolia.
Identifiable by their robust build, tan color and upright, dark mane, the horse is listed as a national first-class protected animal in China and remains endangered globally.
For the transfer, the 28 horses were divided into four herds and moved from Gansu Endangered Animal Protection Center in Wuwei City to the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, a journey covering approximately 1,030 kilometers with up to 15 hours on road.
The horses will remain fully conscious throughout the journey. To prevent fighting between family groups, they were transported in four separate vehicles.
To minimize stress during transit, staff members at the protection center have equipped the transport vehicles with carrots, hay, and a supply of medicine and medical equipment to handle any emergencies.
Though Przewalski's horses was extinct from the wild from the 1960s, China has invested heavily in reintroduction programs, earning international recognition.
The transfer aimed at restoring the horses' natural wild instincts and improving the genetic structure of the herd. Since 2023, the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve has been gradually releasing some of its Przewalski's horses into a fully wild wetland environment.
Upon the arrival of these 28 horses, the total population of Przewalski's horses at the Dunhuang reserve will reach 212.
This transfer is a significant part of China's program set in 1985 to reintroduce Przewalski's horses from overseas and to establish breeding bases in Xinjiang and Gansu.
28 Przewalski's horses embark on transfer journey to nature reserve in Gansu
