Przewalski's wild horse
Equus caballus przewalskii
We have three Przewalski's wild horses here at Edinburgh Zoo.
Och, Tomor and Kumbish arrived from Highland Wildlife Park in August 2021 and can be found on the way up to the giraffe house.
Przewalski’s wild horses were once extinct in the wild. The last few individuals in zoos around the world were managed very carefully to ensure that a genetically healthy population was maintained and in the 1990s a number of reintroduction programmes began to bring the species back from the brink.
The return of the Przewalski's horse to its natural environment is a success story for conservation, but those reintroduced populations still face threats from hybridisation with domestic horses and competition for food.
Population
Increasing
IUCN August 2018
Diet
Herbivore
Habitat
Desert
Fact file
The name Przewalski is commonly pronounced 'Shuh-val-skee'
The Przewalski's wild horse is the only true living wild horse
Most of their time is spent foraging as their preferred food of grasses and other plants have a low nutritional content
They live in harem groups led by a dominant stallion, often containing between five and 15 horses
Foals are able to stand as soon as one hour after birth
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How we're helping
Like all the animals in our care our Przewalski's wild horses are amazing ambassadors for their relatives in the wild and help hundreds of thousands of people connect with nature every year. They encourage visitors to learn about the threats facing wildlife and the action they can take to help create a world where nature is protected, valued and loved.
As a wildlife conservation charity, we care for the animals here at the zoo and work to protect species at risk around the world. From providing expertise in genetics and veterinary health, to protecting wild places with local conservation partners, and even restoring threatened species to the wild, we are active where we are needed most.
Find out more about RZSS conservation