The Xinjiang wild horses, or Przewalski's horses, were originally slated to be returned to their original habitat by this month at the latest.

But the horses will not be freed as scheduled because they are not strong enough to withstand the harsh natural environment.

And the cash-strapped Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Center possesses out-of-date monitoring devices, said Zhang Minxing, deputy director of the management office for protecting wild animals and plants of Xinjiang.

The date for the release of the horses will be decided only after a group of Chinese experts complete their first-hand investigations into the release of wild horses in the People's Republic of Mongolia.

By doing so, China aims to guarantee the smooth operation of its plan to set free the second batch of Xinjiang wild horses.

On August 28 last year, China freed the first batch of 27 Xinjiang wild horses in the Jungar Basin -- where such horses became extinct more than 100 years ago.

Severe cold brought difficulties to the wild horses in seeking food and they were scared by the large-scale movement of livestock in the area. Due to insufficient nutrition, four wild horses died and one disappeared before the remaining 22 were finally driven back to captivity.

Experts said they are optimistic as Xinjiang wild horses have been reared in captivity for a long time and it takes time for them to recover their ability and adapt to natural conditions.

Mongolia and China respectively imported 18 Przewalski's horses from Germany in 1986. Mongolia has been successful in setting free the wild horse and the number in the wild now stands at 64.

An official with Xinjiang's forestry bureau said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is consulting with its Mongolian counterpart on the planned investigation by Chinese experts.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2002)