przewalski

(Click on any thumbnail below for a larger view)

The Przewalski Horse (pronounced "sha-val-ski" and also known as the Mongolian Wild Horse and/or Takh in its native country of Mongolia) is the only known true species of wild horse remaining on Earth. It has been described throughout its known existence as the most agressive of the wild horse species. They are generally light dun (tan) to whitish in color in the summer and grow darker in winter to almost bay in appearance. The always display black legs with primitive (zebra-like) stripes on their upper legs in varying degrees and usually a dark stripe down their back called a dorsal stripe. Their muzzles and eyes are meally (white) like a common mule or donkey as well as their white underbelly, and their manes are always upright, the sign of any true wild horse species (vs. a feral horse which was once domestic but now runs wild). They stand approximately 4.5 feet tall at the shoulders and weigh an average 770 pounds. With an estimated 1500 representatives of the species left today, the Przewalski (Equus przewalski poliakov) is one of the rarest equine species on the planet. Ironically, this minute group of animals is a celebrated population explosion for an animal that had reached extinction in the wild less than a decade ago.

Above are several photos displaying the Przewaslki's distinct physical characteristics: Leg barring, dorsal stripes down their back, raised manes, and various shades of dun.

It is a fact that if the Przewalski had not been sustained in private collections and zoos around the world, this animal would have already been extinct and luckily the outlook is bright for the success of their reintroduction into their native land of Mongolia where it was only recently reintroduced into semi-protected reserves with hopes to rebuild a wild population. This means the next generation of equine breeders and enthusiasts will be able to appreciate and benefit from the study of new existing wild populations of the last truly recognized wild horse (not derived from domestic stock and the only known breed of horse to never be domesticated).

HISTORY
It seems only appropriate to begin an essay on The Mongolian Wild Horse with a bit of history as this species is arguably the oldest known species of equine on Earth. It is believed to be the horse found in cave paintings all across Europe and Asia dating back to 40,000 B.C. and has therefore been perceived as the possible foundation stock for a great many, if not all, equine species. According to the book "Przewalski Horse" by in an essay provided by Inge and Jan Bouman, in various cave painting in the regions of Italy, western France and northern Spain of 2,188 drawing and etchings found (dating 20,00 - 9,000 b.c.), 610 were of equine figures giving evidence "of how abundant wild horses must have been in this area at that time." The details of the various paintings (including upright manes, coat color, large jaws and even summer and winter coats) leave little doubt that the Przewalski horse is indeed either the very animal in these paintings or the closest relative of the animal known to man.

The Above pictures were taken in Russia and are displayed with permision by:
Askar Isabacov. Visit his web site on Albino animals here: http://www.geocities.com/issabekov/

The first written accounts of the Przewalski are thought to originate from Tibet (Bouman, 1994) our 900 a.d. Yet, ironically, it wasn't until the1400's was first confirmed and documented. While it is commonly believed that the first official documentation of the species was in 1879 by a Russian explorer named Nikolai Przewalski (for whom the horse is obviously named), The Przewalski Horse Foundation offers that in fact there is proof that at least two other explorers has sited and domented the existence of these animals as early as 1427. According to the Oklahoma State University web site, "A Scottish doctor who was sent on an embassy to China by Peter the Great wrote of his experiences in Journey from St. Petersburg to Pekin, 1719 - 1723 and included an accurate description of this Asiatic Wild Horse. Even earlier, Hans Schiltberger, a Bavarian nobleman, was taken prisoner by the Turks and sold to the famous Tamerlane of the Golden Horde, who in turn gave Schiltberger to a Mongol prince named Egedi. Schiltberger spent several years in the Tien Shan mountains. He wrote of the wild horses he observed in his memoirs "Journey into Heathen Parts". The unpublished manuscript was written in 1427 and is housed in the Munich Stadtbibliotek (municipal library)." When the Przewalski horse was again discovered in 1829 by Nikoli Przewalski, the animal was thought to be a cross between a horse and an ass. It was only after the first live captures around 1800 which offered careful study of the newly discovered species that researchers learned the gestation period of Przewalski Horse was the same as the domestic horse (which is a month less than the gestation of an ass) defining its place in the equine family. Nikolai's proof of the animal's existence was a skull and hide given as a gift from the commissioner of a Chinese-Russian frontier post.

The next noted revelations of the Przewalski Horse came 10 years later by brothers Grigory and Michael Grum-Grzhimailoin who, by order of the Russian government, set about detailing the flora and fauna of central Asia. The brothers collected and submitted various maps and details about various populations of species including the Przewalski Wild Horse. Having had no immediate sighting of the horses, the brothers initial speculation regarding the species was that Nikoli Przewalski had not actually seen his name sake discovery, but in fact had viewed specimens of the Asiatic Wild Ass Later that year, the brothers actually viewed and shot 4 specimens including 3 stallions and a mare whose hides and bones and the bones of several other animals were presented to the Zoological Museum of St. Petersburg which through further investigation eventually put to rest the ongoing arguments that the Przewaslki Horse was a cross-breed between the Asian Wild Ass and was in fact a wild horse.

The demise of the Przewalski in the wild dates back as far back as 10,000 years ago when warming climatic conditions changed the first wild horse´s preferred grassland ranges to forests in areas of Europe and Russia, they were faced with an ever decreasing range to sustain them. Of course human colonization even further reduced their areas until by the nineteenth century they were reduced to a small area of the Gobi Desert in northern China and southern Mongolia.

It was when its population was at its lowest point in history in the 1800's that the breed was discovered and the excitement of the new species brought zoos and scientists rushing to collect specimens to exhibit and study. The Przewalski proved to be a tough capture as stallions and mares were incredibly protective and fought violently to protect their herds, which clearly illustrates why this species was never domesticated. The first attempts to capture the horses yielded much bloodshed among adult animals and only with foals were taken into captivity. Herds of animals were lost to these captures ever further decreasing their population. Inge and Jan Bouman further report in "The Przewalski Horse" that the original habitat of the horses "covered the entire Eurasian Steppe belt." But already by 1900 various reports by increasing interested naturalists made clear an incredible contraction in the species population - and that no reports of Przewalski horses were published between 1903 and 1947 when they were again sited in southwest Mongolia. Their numbers and habitat only continued to decrease and by the 1960's it is believed that the Przewalski horse was extinct in the wild.

THE STUD BOOK
Sadly, even the captive numbers of Przewalski horses were further reduced due to the perils of World War II as the world's Przewalski horse population had dwindled to only 13 living animals. It is from these three stallions, nine mares and the last wild captured mare that all of the Przewalski horses existing in the world today have descended. Odds were against the species very survival and it has been the topic of much controversy regarding the tiny genetic pool offered to the future of these animals. In fact, many researchers have suggested and even accused the movement to rescue the species of including the Fjord Pony in the new genetic pool. But consider that although they offer uncanny resemblances, the Przewalski also has 66 chromosomes where the Fjord pony has only 64 - a clear fact that denies the implication of any recent infusion of either breed into the other's modern gene pool. And with the foresight of Erna Mohr and Jiri Volf of the Zoological Garden in Prague (where the largest captive herd of Przewalski Horse existed at the time), who published a detailed studbook for the species in 1959 with 59 recorded animals throughout the world, breeders were able to further reduce any serious inbreeding.

Writing for the book "Przewalski Horse," Volf provides that in the two years he and Mohr collected the detailed date to make the Stud Book possible, interest in the Przewalski Horse increased and the world wide captive herd increased by 50% (from 41 animals to 59) as breeder's were able to recognize the desperate plea of this species survival. With the backing of the Prague Zoo, Volf and Mohr then coordinated the first International Symposium on the Przewalski Horse, also in 1959, to further encourage captive breeding of the horses with the use of the Studbook and more detailed records of wild herds. The Prague Zoo also took on the task of keeping the Studbook publication responsibilities and updates which they currently continue to this day.

Volf reports the data included on each studbook card helps breeders to relocate surplus horses as well as locate necessary breeding matches when possible. The studbook is updated each year with death records and new births are updated as immediately as possible. The actual Studbook features two cards for each animal, the first belonging to the zoo (stallion cards are blue and mare cards are pink) and the second belonging to the horse's owner (reversed - stallion cards are pink and mare cards are blue). The initial information presented on the card includes species, studbook number, sex, studbook name (name of breeding station and number in the succession of offspring born at the zoo), house name, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death, pos-mortem findings, disposition of the corpse, characteristics and remarks." On the card's reverse, up to third generation ancestors are listed and all descendants with their name, date of birth, sex, other parent, and studbook number. Every January current breeders are supplied with an updated list of all live animals currently in the registry. The accuracy, success and general simplicity of the registry brought recommendations from the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a model registration for other endangered species.

Despite the extensive records and details of the Studbook, the Przewalski Horse suffers from further criticism regarding the purity of the founding and therefore current population. Accounts from natives report a Mongolian Pony mare interbreeding with one of the herds known to be of the last wild captures sold to Europe and US breeders. While it is true the Przewalski Horse has two additional chromosomes than the domestic horse, it has also been documented that while most offspring from such a crossing are infertile, fertile offspring have been produced from hybrid breedings. One such occurrence was noted in 1974 when a Przewalski stallion and Welsh pony mare were mated to produce a fertile offspring. The offspring was also proven to have the extra chromosome pair found in the Przewalski species. There is no direct evidence that the 12 animals from the final wild captures (with the Mongolian Pony mare) are hybrids. If they had been extensively mixed with domestic infusion, it is believed the some sort of gene morphing (change, alteration) would have been detectable. In fact, it has been proven that in subsequent breedings of fertile hybrids (with 65 chromosomes), their offspring result in 64 chromosomes and bear little resemblance to the wild descendant.

This horse was photograhed at The Wilds in North Cumberland, Ohio. The staff claims this is simply a birthmark.

These horses are at the San Diego Wild Animal Park - note the star on the far right animal.

Another argument against the horse's purity is the recent appearance of white markings on various animals. The Przewalski's Horse has never been documented to be seen with any white markings in the wild. There is one such animal cited in the book "The Asiatic Wild Horse" by Dr. Erna Mohr (date of photo unknown) of a stallion with a white star on his forehead. Mohr claims that genetic mutations occur in many species and the appearance of this star is not proof of hybridization with a domestic animal anywhere in its lineage. Other arguments and oppinions about the white markings suggest that they are either the result of excessive inbreeding (which was impossible to prevent to save the breed with only 13 animals at one point in time), or the domestication of the entire population causing an eventual loss for the biological need for camaflauge to survive in the wild. White markings in domestic or domesticated animals often become common where have never been noted to occurr in the wild.

Prior to the Przewalski Horse numbers increasing with such success, very little work has been done regarding the study of changes and/or similarities in genetic make-ups in large zoo animals between similar species. Oliver Ryder (writing for "Przewalski Horse") shared the information in this paragraph and adds that the past two decades a number of investigative studies have been documented regarding the "genetic variability" between the Przewalski Horse and the domestic horse. Such studies are also providing more detailed information regarding whether or not the Przewalski Horse are the "direct progenitors" of all domestic horse species.

THE FUTURE
By 1977 there were nearly 300 Przewalski horses worldwide when the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse (FPPPH) was founded with the aim to reintroduce the species back into its native Mongolian homeland. After nearly 90 years in captivity, the Przewalski is surely not an animal that can simply be released into the wild and assumed to exist. After careful consideration that man might not have chosen the best mating combinations for the species in their captive breeding programs and recognizing that so much time in captivity has obviously softened their instincts, the foundation prepared for the horses initial release into semi-reserves. Here they would be protected and with minimal to no human interaction would allow the herds and future generations to readapt to their wild habitat.

Possibly the most exciting aspect of the Przewalski comeback is the real chance for volunteers to partake in the success of the reintroduction program in the Hustain Nuruu National Park in Mongolia through ecovolunteers (visit their website here: http://www.ecovolunteer.org.uk). All year long the group offers places for up to 4 volunteers at a time the chance of a lifetime to help monitor the newly reintroduced herds in the semi-reserve as the team hopes its collected research will help to reestablish a population which will fend for itself in the true wild. Your own adventure should you dare will surely match the horses struggle to acclimate - your stay is primitive (round tents with minimal furniture and water sacs instead of showers), and you pay for the experience (about $1500 for 3 weeks in 2001), and two hot meals each day (bread for breakfast and soup once a day). Consider though, that you would be experiencing what few have witnessed in the recent history of the world - a Przewaslki Horse in the wild!

Today, Przewalski horses boast one of history's greatest comebacks with almost 1500 animals both wild and in captive collections currently throughout the world. Like all of the earth's animals, the Przewalski may always fight for their natural right to exist in the wild, but organizations like FPPPH and volunteers possibly like yourself are here to assure a place for one of the planet's oldest inhabitants.

**************

For more information on the Przewalski Wild Horse and the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse, please visit their website: http://www.treemail.nl/takh/ where you will find information about their magazine "Przewalski Horse," a bibliography of articles and books about Przewaslki Horses, a free booklet for download (loaded with facts and details about the breed and its current situation in the semi-preserves) and various gifts to purchase. If you are able, support via monetary donations can also be offered via e-mail contact with the organization

Bibliography:
Boyd, Lee and Katherine A. Houpe, eds. Przewalski's Horse: The History and Biology of an Endangered Species, State University of New York, 1994.
Buy this book at: Barnes and Noble ISBN# 0-7914-1890-1

Bouman, Inge and Jan. "The History of the Przewalski's Horse." Przewalski's Horse: The History and Biology of an Endangered Species. Eds. Boyd, Lee and Katherine A. Houpe. State University of New York, 1994. 5-38.

Volf, Jiri. "The Studbook." Przewalski's Horse: The History and Biology of an Endangered Species. Eds. Boyd, Lee and Katherine A. Houpe. State University of New York, 1994. 61-73.

Ryder, Oliver A. "Genetic Studies of Przewalski's Horses and their Impact on Conservation." Przewalski's Horse: The History and Biology of an Endangered Species. Eds. Boyd, Lee and Katherine A. Houpe. State University of New York, 1994. 75-92.

The Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewaslki Horse, "Przewalski Horse." http://www.treemail.nl/takh/ (2000)

Oklahoma State University, "Przewaslki." http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/PRZEW/ (May, 1998)

Hoffman, Brett. The Ultimate Ungulate. "PRZEWALSKI'S WILD HORSE, TAKHI." http://www.ultimateungulate.com/przehorse.html (January 1999)

A condensed version of this article appeared in the
April/May 2001 Issue of "Animals Exotic and Small" magazine.