Equus przewalskii were widely distributed in the arid desert steppe zone of China and Mongolia, which were also known as Junggar wild horse or Mongolian Mustang. However, with the rapid development of animal husbandry, excess reclamation, mining encroachment and other aspects that destruct the wild horse’s habitat, the population of Equus przewalskii has been decreasing all along. The latest observation of Equus przewalskii in the wild is in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia Dzungarian. Since then, Equus przewalskii has been only kept in captivity in the European and American zoo.

From 1985 to 2005, China has brought in 24 Equus przewalskii horses from European zoos, which has been put in Xinjiang Jimusaer Wild Horse Breeding Center located in the south of Junggar Basin. Xinjiang institute of Ecology and Geography researcher Yang Weikang published a paper that for the first time reported the increase of Equus przewalskii and reintroduction work performance in detail.

Through 30 years’ hard work, Xinjiang Jimusaer Wild Horse Breeding Center has successfully built a number of captive population with low inbreeding coefficient. The great success of artificial propagation may let the center become the largest output base of Equus przewalskii in Asia. Wild release is final aim of reintroduction. Along with the introduction work in Kalamali mountain, the population has been increasing year by year. However, the wild horses would be driven in the fence in order to reduce the competition with the normal horses and provide them with food in the winter to increase the proportion of survival. So, in this phase, the population can only be called semi-wild. The future work should reduce the interference of human factors for the purpose of building one population of real Equus przewalskii.

Xinjiang Jimusaer Wild Horse Breeding Center

Kalamali Mountain Protection Zone