Gansu transfers Przewalski's horses to prevent inbreeding

The last 15 or 40 Przewalski's horses being transferred between nature reserves in northwest China's Gansu Province to prevent inbreeding reached their destination on Saturday.

The animals were transferred in batches from the Anxi Extreme-arid Desert National Nature Reserve to the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, increasing the population of Przewalski's horses there from 126 to 166.

Before the transfer, fences were set up at the Anxi nature reserve to adapt the horses to a captive environment in advance and ease their stress response in transport vehicles. They also underwent parasite expulsion in batches.

The Przewalski's horses at the Anxi nature reserve originate from Britain, while those at the Dunhuang nature reserve are from Germany. They are likely to have inbreeding problems in natural conditions without artificial intervention.

This transfer aims to improve the genetic diversity of the species, enhancing their ability to thrive in the wild.

"We aim to increase the population of the species, change their genes and strengthen their resistance for living in the wild to enhance their survival ability," said Sun Weigang, director of the administration and conservation center of the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve.

The last 15 Przewalski's horses will live in a semi-captive environment at the Dunhuang nature reserve to adapt themselves to local natural conditions for months before being released to the wild next year at a proper time.

Przewalski's horses, native to China and Mongolia and currently endangered in the wild, are China's first-class protected animals that retain original equine genes. They were once extinct in the wild in the mid-20th century due to excessive hunting and environmental factors.

In 1985, a campaign was initiated to revive wild Przewalski's horses by introducing them from other countries and establishing breeding bases in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu.

Last September, the Dunhuang nature reserve released 40 Przewalski's horses in two wetlands 30 kilometers away. So far, four groups of 30 Przewalski's horses have settled and bred in the two wetlands.

(Cover: Przewalski's horses. /CFP)