Przewalski’s horses first came to Prague Zoo in 1932, a year after its foundation and nearly four decades before the species became extinct in the wild. The original pair were the stallion Ali and the mare Minka. Both of them had originally been born in the zoo in Halle and then went to live on the school farm of the University of Agriculture in Uhříněves-Netluky. Their fourth foal – the first to be born in Prague Zoo – saw the light of day on 21 March 1933. The little mare was named Heluš.

Heluš lived to a ripe old age, passing away in 1962. She mothered many foals, starting the long history of this new breeding line at Prague. Thanks to her and Prague Zoo’s “Return of the Wild Horses” project, her offspring could return to their original homeland – Mongolia – several decades later. The picture shows Heluš in 1937.