Some of the 300 Przewalski’s Horses, formerly extinct in the wild, now roaming free in one of four special reserves set aside by the Mongolian government. By 1945 there were only 31 horses, all in captivity in two European zoos. However an internationally backed breeding program has resulted in herds now being released into protected areas in Russia, Hungary and China as well as Mongolia. The Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse, based in the Netherlands has controlled and co-ordinated the various breeding programs to ensure the horses are genetically sustainable. All the Przewalski horses in the world can trace their lineage back to just nine of those 31. The horses, called tahki in Mongolia, are named after the Russian explorer Nikolai Przewalski.
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