A British zoo is celebrating a “baby boom” as four endangered breed Przewalski’s horse foals were born safely to mares in its resident herd.
The fillies were born at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire in May and June.
Przewalski’s horses were extinct in the wild as recently as 2008. Breeding and conservation programmes have resulted in the breed being reintroduced to certain areas in the wild, and the population is increasing.
“All the foals are doing well and can often be seen lying or sunbathing in the valley field close by the rest of the herd,” said Erin Luter, hoofstock animal keeper at Marwell Zoo.
“These horses that were previously listed extinct in the wild, are an example of how zoo breeding programmes can help restore threatened species around the world.”
She added: “Thanks to breeding programmes like ours at Marwell, they can now be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia and China and have been downlisted to endangered.”
The first foal was born to Lena, on 3 May, and has been named Zaela, which means mystical or fierce in Mongolian.
Shara, named after a mountain in Mongolia, was the second foal to arrive. She was born to Tsetseg on 11 May.
The other two foals were born a day apart – Bilüü arrived to Tuya on 12 June and Ereen to Speranza on 13 June. Their names are both cities in Mongolia.
All the Przewalski’s horses alive today are descended from 12 individuals. They were declared extinct in the wild for almost 40 years, between 1969 and 2008. Current estimates suggest that there are now 178 mature horses living in the wild.
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