Kazakhstan, after two centuries wild horses have returned to the steppe

Seven wild horses have been reintroduced to the steppe of Kazakhstan, where they had been missing for at least two centuries.The specimens are Przewalski's horses, also called Mongolian wild horses or takhi.Four of them come from the Berlin Zoo, while three others from the Prague Zoo.According to the director of the zoo of the latter city, the reintroduction in question represents a "event of historical importance".Once they arrive at their destination, the equines will be kept for a year in an area where they can get used to coexistence with each other and to the new climatic and environmental conditions, all under the strict supervision of a group of experts.Subsequently, they will be released into the wild, where they will make a positive contribution in ecological terms, both for the fauna and flora of the steppe.

Przewalski horses (in Kazakh known as Kertagy or Kerkulan) I am the last species of genetically wild horse left in the world.The species completely stopped existing in the natural environment in 1960:then, the few specimens still in existence do they found in various European zoos.In the steppes of Kazakhstan, Przewalski horses were completely absent for at least 200 years.Gradual reintroductions into the wild began in the 1990s, first in China and then in Mongolia.Now, seven specimens have also been reintroduced into the steppe of Kazakhstan, their original environment, where they will return to coexist together with the other two large herbivores of the steppe, the wild ass (Kulan) and the Saiga antelopes, also reintroduced through conservation projects .In the future, another 30 Przewalski's specimens should be gradually reintroduced into this environment, as part of a larger breeding project. reconstruction of the local fauna carried out by the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative - partnership of national and international NGOs that collaborate with the Kazakh government to improve and preserve the country's ecosystem.

The reintegration of horses into the steppe will happen gradually:before being released into their habitat, in fact, the animals will be left for a few months in a specially designed area and monitored by veterinarians.Stephanie Ward, of the Zoological Society of Frankfurt and international coordinator of the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, said:“We have long dreamed of the day when Przewalski's horses would join the Saiga antelope and the Kulan on the great wild steppe of central Kazakhstan.Thanks to a unique partnership between zoos, NGOs and governments, we are finally seeing the return of this species, fundamental for the ecosystem».

Large grazing animals are in fact fundamental for the survival of the steppe ecosystem - which, with its 750 thousand square km of extension, covers an area that is more than double that of Germany.These animals actually help redistribute resources over long distances through dung, which fertilizes the soil, increases the number of insects and helps disperse the seeds of various plant species.In this way the vegetation diversifies, making the ecosystem more resistant against desertification and fires.Large herbivores are also key for small wildlife, as, by digging the river beds, they facilitate access to water, as well as exposing the fodder hidden under the snow during the winter.The reintroduction of these horses should therefore constitute a further step in the rebirth of this ecosystem, long threatened by human predatory intervention.

[by Valeria Casolaro]