A near extinct prehistoric breed of horse -- the Przewalski -- will again roam in northwest China’s Gansu Province.  

A total of 25 Przewalski horses, only ever seen in zoos and breeding centers, will be grazed next May on a patch of land in a nature reserve in Dunhuang, a well-known historical and cultural city that lies at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province.

According to the Gansu Endangered Species Research Center, the reintroduction into the wild is necessary for the preservation of the iron-age species.

Wang Li, deputy director of the center, said that they have imported 12 Przewalski horses from Europe and America at four different times since 1988.

He said the number of horses has increased to 51 and the time is right to send them back to their natural habitat.

He said the center has spent four years making preliminary plans, including separating the horses into two herds of 25 horses each.

The Przewalski horse is the last surviving wild horse in the world. It is rarer than the giant panda and among the most threatened wildlife species in the world, with today’s population amounting to no more than 1,500 horses.

Measuring between 1.24 meters and 1.44 meters the Przewalski horse is almost as big as a sturdy pony.

Przewalski horses have 66 chromosomes while domestic horses have 64.

Russian Colonel Nikolai Przewalski, who made voyages of discovery into Central Asia in late 19th century, discovered the wild breed.

The horse was named after the colonel, who hunted and collected specimens of the animal.

Experts said that 28 specimens were transported to Europe and spread throughout Europe and America.

The Przewalski horses are now kept in zoos by horse-breeders and around the world all are the offspring of those 28 horses.

Due to the change of the environment and hunting, the number of Przewalski horses quickly declined and no herds have been seen in China since the last century.

In 1985, China launched a program called “Reintroduction to Home” and began to import Przewalski horses from Europe and America to Gansu Province and northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

(China Daily October 2, 2004)