Saving the Przewalski’s horses: scientific research and monitoring

We have been conducting research in the three reintroduction areas of the Przewalski’s horse — in the Great Gobi B in western Mongolia, Valley of Monasteries in eastern Mongolia, and Altyn Dala steppes in Kazakhstan. This scientific work is very important for understanding how the horses adapt to life in the wild, if and how they affect the habitat and for ensuring the long-term success of conservation efforts.

The recently reintroduced horses are observed daily, and each individual is recognised and monitored. Their behaviour is recorded using video footage and digital notes. Regular health checks are carried out, including assessments of body condition, parasite load, microbiome changes, and social interactions. These insights are important for understanding how the horses function as a group and how well they are adapting.

Beyond the horses themselves, the surrounding environment is also studied.

• Plant communities are monitored to understand changes in diversity and distribution that may be linked to the presence of horses.
• Soil and water quality are regularly analysed to detect even subtle changes over time.
• The potential impact on insects such as pollinators and on other wild animals is also being investigated.

By applying standardised and multidisciplinary research across all sites, valuable knowledge is being gathered that will guide future conservation strategies — not only for the Przewalski’s horse, but potentially for more species and areas.

Through understanding more about the species we get better at protecting them. Explore our scientific publications.

Influence of weather on the behaviour of reintroduced Przewalski’s horses in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (Mongolia): implications for conservation

Anna Bernátková, Ganbaatar Oyunsaikhan, Jaroslav Šimek, Martina Komárková, Miroslav Bobek, Francisco Ceacero

BMC Zoology 7, Article number: 32, 2022

Abstract

Background: Reintroduction is a common technique for re-establishing threatened species. However, the adaptation to novel habitats with distinct conditions poses a risk of failure. Weather conditions affect the behaviour of animals, and thus, their adaptation to new conditions and survival. Reintroduced Przewalski’s horses living in Mongolia’s continental arid climate with extreme temperature and precipitation variability, serve as an ideal model species for studying the behavioural response of selected groups to these harsh conditions.

Methods: The research was conducted in The Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. In summer 2018, three groups were recorded (Azaa, Tsetsen and Mares18) involving 29 individuals. In Spring 2019, 4 groups were recorded (Azaa, Tsetsen, Hustai1 and Mares19) involving 34 individuals. In Autumn 2019, 4 groups were recorded (Azaa, Tsetsen, Hustai2 and Tanan) involving 35 individuals. Thirteen weather variables were recorded in 10-min intervals, together with the percentage representation of selected behavioural categories (feeding, locomotion, resting, and social). The effect of weather on behaviour was analysed through GLMM. Influence of the group-history factors (recently reintroduced, long-term reintroduced and wild-born) was also analysed.

Results: Feeding significantly increased with cloudy and windy conditions and was more frequent in autumn than spring and summer. Locomotion was positively explained by temperature and cloudiness and was higher in summer than spring and autumn. Resting behaviour decreased with altitude and cloudiness, and the dispersion of the group was lower when resting. Increased social interactions were observed with higher temperatures and were more frequent in summer compared to spring and autumn. Differences were found in the display of the behaviours among the selected harems, showing interesting patterns when grouping them according to their origin and experience.

Conclusions: Weather patterns seem to influence the behaviour of Przewalski’s horse. These results might assist in further management plans for the species, especially in the view of intensifying climate change and alteration of weather patterns. As previously suggested, after approximately 1 year, horses adapt to novel conditions and display the typical behavioural pattern of wild-born Przewalski’s horses.

Social networks of reintroduced Przewalski’s horses in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (Mongolia)

Anna Bernátková, Ganbaatar Oyunsaikhan, Jaroslav Šimek, Martina Komárková, Francisco Ceacero

Current Zoology, Volume 70, Issue 2, Pages 182–194, April 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoad011

Abstract

Analyzing social networks is a powerful tool for understanding the ecology of social species. While most studies focus on the role of each group member, few compare groups with different characteristics. The current population of Przewalski’s horses Equus ferus przewalskii at the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (Mongolia) includes groups of wild-born and captive-bred individuals with different experiences with the area (acclimatizing, long-term reintroduced, and wild-born), therefore serving as an ideal natural behavioral lab. We filmed 11 groups for 141.5 hours in summer 2018 (July), late spring 2019 (May, June), and autumn 2019 (September, October). Affiliative and agonistic interactions were recorded, and social networks were created. We tested the influence of origin, experience, season, sex, age, relative time belonging to the group, relatedness, and dominance rank on different network indices at the individual and group levels. We found that groups with greater experience in the area are generally better connected than members of the newly formed groups. However, these strong networks were created by wild-born individuals with very low interaction rates. On the contrary, inexperienced groups composed of captive-bred individuals displayed many interactions but created weak social networks. The results show a trend of behavioral transition from acclimatizing through long-term reintroduced to wild-born groups, supporting that the newly formed groups of released Przewalski’s horses need time to display the typical social behavior patterns of wild-born individuals. Long-term monitoring of released Przewalski’s horses is recommended to promote the success of this reintroduction program.

Novel observation of play behaviour between a harem holder and a bachelor group of Przewalski’s horses in the wild

Anna Bernátková, Francisco Ceacero, Ganbaatar Oyunsaikhan, Dalaitseren Sukhbaatar, Jaroslav Šimek, Martina Komárková

Acta Ethologica, Volume 26, Pages 145–150, 2023

Abstract

Przewalski’s horses live in stable nonterritorial families (harem) of one or more harem stallions, several mares, and their offspring. The harem stallion typically behaves aggressively towards any male intruder approaching the harem. Play behaviour is frequently observed among the group members in horses. For stallions, the most common, well-known cases of play behaviour are found between members of bachelor groups (groups of young stallions) and between the harem stallion and his offspring. The play between the harem stallion and members of the bachelor groups is, on the other hand, seemingly much rarer as a description of such events in the literature is anecdotal. In this note, we present our observation conducted in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (Mongolia) and describe the play behaviour between a Przewalski’s horse harem stallion and members of a bachelor group. The observation was done as a part of broader research during which selected Przewalski’s horses’ groups were located by binoculars in daily monitoring routines and filmed from a close distance (from 150 to 800 m). Behavioural Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS) was used to extract data from the video recordings. The observation described in this note lasted for ∼ 180 min, during which the horses engaged in three separate bouts of play and repeated inter-group association. During the whole study (241.5 h of video recordings), this was the only observation including inter-group interactions. We observed two other events during which two harems approached each other (but never merged). Our observation is the first video recording of such an event and raises the question of how prevalent this behaviour is in the Przewalski’s horses’ restored natural populations. We conclude that this behaviour is unusual or has not been sufficiently studied in wild or feral harems. Further technological advances may help reveal more information on this topic.

Origin and experience influence the leading behaviour of reintroduced Przewalski's horses

Anna Bernátková, Ganbaatar Oyunsaikhan, Martina Komárková, Miroslav Bobek, Francisco Ceacero

Animal Behaviour, Volume 215, Pages 89–96, September 2024

Abstract

Analysing social behaviour provides valuable insights into the dynamics of species living in groups. An essential part of social behaviour is represented by lead-and-follow interactions as they influence group stability through individual needs and decision making. In horses, Equus ferus caballus, this behaviour plays a crucial role since individuals depend on the security and knowledge their group offers. Only one study has analysed the lead-and-follow behaviour of Przewalski's horses, Equus ferus przewalskii. However, no such study has been conducted on the wild population, nor on the potential impact of the horses' origin and experience. We filmed 34 wild-born and captive-bred individuals with different experiences (held in a fenced enclosure before release into the wild, long-term reintroduced and wild-born) in the Great Gobi B (Mongolia) over summer 2018, late spring 2019 and autumn 2019 to investigate Przewalski's horses' lead-and-follow behaviour in situ. We documented lead-and-follow interactions within 11 groups and used these data to construct lead-and-follow networks. We also examined the influence of various social factors (origin, sex, age, dominance rank, group size, parity, kinship and time belonging to the group) on different network measures. The analyses revealed that wild-born horses with greater experience in the area tended to exhibit well-defined lead-and-follow connections with few leading individuals, typical of stable groups of horses. In contrast, in inexperienced reintroduced groups, many (or all) members controlled the movement. The results show that newly formed groups of released Przewalski's horses require time to develop typical and stable lead-and-follow patterns.