Port Lympne Wild Animal Park Pleased To Announce Arrival of A Przewalski’s foal

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park is thrilled to announce the birth of a new Przewalski’s foal which goes a long way to helping conserve a species that for some time was actually extinct in the wild. The foal represents the first birth of its kind in almost a decade and arrived on 26th October.

Przewalski’s horses were last found in Mongolia which was the only place they could be found in the 1970’s. The species became extinct in the wild as they were hunted and found it increasingly difficult to compete with livestock for pasture and water.

That was not the end of the story however because Przewalski’s horses are one of the success stories of cooperative captive breeding programmes. Many zoos bred the species in captivity preserving and protecting them for future generations. Many of those horses were also successfully reintroduced to the wild. The species used to be classed as critically endangered but that classification has since been revised in 2011 to simply endangered. Therefore the birth of the new foal at the park is yet another important step in the conservation of this endangered species.

“It is great to have a new Przewalski’s foal as we have previously repatriated Przewalski’s horses via China and Mongolia, which we’re hoping to start up again soon. He is doing remarkably well considering the weather!” Bob Savill, Head of Hoofstock said.

Przewalski’s horses are uniquely adapted for survival in marginal habitats and are known to survive in even dry grassland where they consume fibrous vegetation that does not have much nutritional value. The horses are a robust species and can survive in harsh winter conditions that go as low as 40 degrees below freezing. The horses were never tamed and as a result are the last remaining wild horses in existence.

Przewalski’s horses are adapted to surviving in marginal habitats, particularly dry grassland, as they can survive on fibrous vegetation that has a low nutritional value. They are also extremely hardy, as they are adapted to winter temperatures that are as low as 40 degrees below freezing. As Przewalski’s horses have never been tamed for riding, they are the last truly wild horse in existence today.