China's Przewalski's horse population tops 900, a third of global total

URUMQI -- The population of Przewalski's horses in China has surpassed 900, accounting for one-third of the global total, according to officials.

The details were announced at a recent event in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, marking 40 years since the species was reintroduced to China. The growth in the horse's population in China has been internationally recognized as a successful model for species reintroduction.

Przewalski's horse, the world's only remaining wild horse species, boasts an evolutionary history spanning over 60 million years.

Native to the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang and parts of Mongolia, the species is listed as a national first-class protected animal in China and remains endangered globally.

In 1985, China launched a program to reintroduce Przewalski's horses from overseas and established breeding bases in Xinjiang and Northwest China's Gansu province.

Through years of scientific conservation efforts, including habitat restoration, a professional monitoring system and step-by-step rewilding programs, the population has seen steady growth.

According to Yu Minghai, deputy director of Xinjiang's forestry and grassland bureau, the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding and Research Center, the largest breeding center for Przewalski's horse in Asia, has bred over 800 such horses to date and released 146 of them into the wild across 18 separate batches. Currently, Xinjiang is home to 546 Przewalski's horses.

In recent years, Xinjiang has accelerated efforts to expand the species' range through trial releases and population dispersal.

A total of 41 horses have been transferred to Mongolia as well as Chinese regions including Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. These cross-regional collaborations aim to provide a broader and more diverse habitat for the species, further supporting its recovery.

Beyond Xinjiang, Gansu province has also seen a growing number of Przewalski's horses, with the local population now exceeding 250.

"The growth in the Przewalski's horse population is the result of joint efforts by multiple parties," said Li Linhai, deputy secretary-general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association, adding that the species' recovery from the brink of extinction vividly exemplifies China's broader achievements in wildlife protection.