ASTANA – The effort to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses, known locally as kerkulan, to the Kazakh steppe has survived an early setback with the loss of a stallion, yet specialists say the herds are adapting steadily, raising expectations of new foals and the arrival of a third group this summer.
The first seven Przewalski horses arrived from Prague Zoo in 2024, followed by another group in 2025. Photo credit: The Astana Times
The initiative, which began in June 2024, represents a landmark effort in global biodiversity conservation, aiming to restore a flagship species to its ancestral home in the Kazakh steppe.
Vera Voronova, executive director of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), said that horses that arrived in June last year have adapted well to the harsh continental climate, better than the team expected.
The project currently oversees 13 horses housed at the reintegration center, divided into several groups. Daily monitoring includes assessing their nutritional status and social behavior, and providing preventive veterinary care, such as parasite control, to ensure their immune systems remain robust.
Winter resilience and adaptation
According to specialists, the animals developed a strong winter coat and maintained healthy activity levels throughout the coldest months. Their behavior naturally adjusted to the freezing temperatures; the animals moved less and spent more time feeding, a natural response to the cold.
“We observe the same pattern not only in Przewalski’s horses, but also in kulans. At this time, we usually increase supplementary feeding, but without making abrupt changes to their diet,” said Vera Voronova, as quoted by Kazinform news agency.
Hay is used as the primary supplementary feed. The animals are also given oats and alfalfa in small amounts, not daily. This approach helps maintain the horses’ physical condition without disrupting their natural feeding habits.
Navigating loss in the wild
The winter season was not without its challenges. The project team also reported a fatal incident involving one of the previously released animals. A stallion named Zorro died after sustaining a severe leg injury, a multi-fragment bone fracture, which experts believe occurred naturally, likely when the animal’s leg became caught in a crevice or hole in the terrain.
Kazakh veterinarians worked alongside international experts from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, the Prague Zoo and the Berlin Zoo, as well as specialists from Hungary, to assess the injury. After extensive consultation, the team made the decision to euthanize the stallion, concluding that the trauma was incompatible with life.
“We are working with wildlife. Losses, however, are part of reintroduction projects globally,” Voronova explained.
Following the loss of the lead stallion, the female animals were temporarily returned to enclosures to prevent the group from dispersing or facing danger without a leader.
Hope for a new generation
Despite Zorro’s loss, the stallion may yet leave a lasting legacy. Observations over the summer recorded him mating with two females, and biological samples are now being sent to specialized laboratories in Germany to determine whether the pregnancies were successful.
“Taking the gestation period into account, if the results are positive, we could expect new births closer to mid-summer,” Voronova said.
Looking ahead
The project is now shifting into its active spring phase. Specialists will continue preparations for further releases into the wild and are also awaiting the arrival of the next group of horses. The preliminary delivery date is early June. Similar to previous years, the transfer will be carried out using two government aircraft from the Czech Republic.
The Astana Times was on the ground for two years in a row, witnessing the arrival of horses to their ancestral home.
The article was originally published on Kazinform.
