Endangered horses released into the wild
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E-mail China Daily, September 7, 2012
"We have taken into full consideration the future reproduction of the horses. The 21 released horses included four males, eight females and nine are immature," said Zhao Chongxue, deputy director of the center.
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Przewalski's horses [file photo] |
"I'm full of confidence for the survival of the 21 horses in the wild, as a previous experimental release of seven horses in 2010 was successful. Today, all of those seven horses are healthy and strong in the wild and a little horse was born in July," he said.
But professionals are worried that decreased water in the nature reserve due to years of exploitation of groundwater may pose a threat to the horses living in the wild.
"We dug 10 new springs this year to satisfy those horses and will break ice in winter to ensure their water supply," Sun said.
At present, the ancient horse's survival and reproduction rates in the wild are not high, said Sun Quanhui, an official from the World Society for the Protection of Animals, headquartered in London.
"Long captivity and rather close blood relations among the horses returned to the wild meant it was not easy for them to survive for a long time. So far, there is no stable population of Przewalski's horses in the wild anywhere in the world," he said.
Other countries, such as Russia and Mongolia, are also striving to return the horses to the wild, he said.
"Although the horses are precious, they have not attracted as much attention as pandas in China up to now. The country needs to give more support to try to save this rare horse species," he said.
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