Return of the Wild Horses 2026: Przewalski’s Horses Fly to Kazakhstan This Week

Candidates for transport to Kazakhstan. They are currently undergoing the required pre-departure quarantine. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Prague Zoo Director Lenka Poliaková said: “The Return of the Wild Horses project, initiated fifteen years ago by my predecessor Miroslav Bobek, is the flagship of Prague Zoo’s conservation programmes. We will continue this internationally renowned and respected initiative until a foundation for a viable population of this still endangered species is established in the wilds of central Kazakhstan.”

The return of the wild horses to Kazakhstan began in 2024. During two transports, fourteen horses were successfully brought to the Golden Steppe, from which Przewalski’s horses had disappeared more than two centuries ago due to human activity. To ensure sufficient genetic diversity, it is essential to transport an adequate number of horses originating from breeding programmes across Europe.

Przewalski’s horse stallions at Prague Zoo’s breeding and acclimatisation centre in Dolní Dobřejov, where the entire transport begins. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo 

Partners of this year’s transport of Przewalski’s horses

Prague Zoo maintains the International Studbook and coordinates the EEP (EAZA Ex situ Programme) for the Przewalski’s horse. After the Second World War, the zoo played a crucial role in saving the species. It later gave rise to the idea of its reintroduction and subsequently became actively involved. Particularly significant were its nine transports of Przewalski’s horses from Europe to western Mongolia between 2011 and 2019. In addition to the current transports to Kazakhstan, Prague Zoo is now preparing a reintroduction project for eastern Mongolia, in the so-called Valley of Monasteries.

The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) is a national non-profit organisation dedicated to biodiversity conservation and public awareness. In a broader context, the Return of the Wild Horses project forms part of its long-term efforts to restore original steppe ecosystems in the country. ACBK has been responsible for building the necessary infrastructure in the Altyn Dala State Nature Reserve, previously used for the reintroduction of kulans in cooperation with the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS).

The Committee for Forestry and Wildlife (FWC) is a governmental body under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is responsible for nature conservation and the management of protected areas. Its invitation to Prague Zoo in autumn 2022 initiated the Return of the Wild Horses project in Kazakhstan.

Tierpark Berlin is a zoological garden that has long been involved in the breeding, management and reintroduction of various animal species, including cooperation in the conservation of the Przewalski’s horse. Within the Return of the Wild Horses project, it provides horses from its own breeding, gathers candidates from other European institutions at its facilities, and directly participates in their transport to Kazakhstan.

The Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) is an international organisation coordinating conservation projects for endangered species and ecosystems in 18 countries worldwide. In Kazakhstan, it contributes to the conservation of species such as the saiga antelope and kulan. In 2006, it co-founded the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (ADCI).

The Czech Air Force, specifically the 24^th Air Transport Base stationed at Prague-Kbely Airport, provides the air transport of the horses to Kazakhstan. It has previously cooperated with Prague Zoo, including the transport of the western lowland gorilla Duni and nine transports of Przewalski’s horses to western Mongolia.

The visual for this year’s transport was created by Czech naturalist, writer and illustrator Jan Dungel. Source: Prague Zoo