The Oldest Horse Breed of them all....

Posted by Sophie Campbell, 18 Jan, 2011

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(all photos courtesy of Taronga Western Plains Zoo)
On a sunny Saturday morning in January this year, a tiny foal was born in a grassy paddock in Dubbo. But this was not just ANY baby horse. Bataai (meaning "hero" in Mongolian) was the 34th Przewalski's Horse born into the Taronga Western Plains Zoo's wild horse breeding program. Little Bataai is also one of just a few hundred Przewalski's Horses born into captivity around the world, since the breed officially became extinct in Mongolia back in 1968. Today, the breed (known as the "Takhi" in Mongolia) is still listed as "critically endangered", but the future of this amazing wild horse is looking brighter, thanks to the hard work of the Mongolian people and the efforts of international breeding programs such as the one at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Western NSW.

In fact Taronga Western Plains Zoo is home to the second largest herd of Przewalski's Horse in the Australasian region and in June 1995, Taronga actually sent five mares back to Mongolia, where they were reintroduced into the wild. And someone who knows a LOT about this ancient wild horse breed is the Zoo's Przewalski's Horse Keeper Todd Jenkinson.

Todd, (who admits he might just have one of the best horsey jobs in the world), actually grew up on a farm in New Zealand, where he not only had horses to play with, but also an egg incubator and baby chickens as well! Indeed while Todd has always loved horses and even attended his local pony club as a child, his first job was working with native birds and the rare NZ Kiwi at Auckland Zoo.

But before long, Todd found himself taking care of larger creatures such as American Bison, and then the Przewalski's Horses at Dubbo were placed into his care. Today, even though they completely ruined his wild bird career, Todd happily admits that Mongolia's wild horses have now completely stolen his heart and he is absolutely addicted to them.

I can't put my finger on just what is so appealing about these gorgeous creatures, Todd admits, but they are a true wild horse, that's for sure. They are very standoffish and very wild by nature. They like to live in social groups, usually around nine horses together, and you see them moving around the pecking order.

Because they are wild, a few animals that need hoof trims or other veterinary attention do need to be anaesthetized you can't just put a halter on them and lead them somewhere but they also seem to handle human contact really well. A lot of the horses here at Taronga Western Plains Zoo have seen people since day one and a lot of our foals are born right here within the exhibit. In fact, in the past twelve months we've had two new arrivals Bataai a little colt, as well as a lovely little filly named Orlitza.

Indeed, Todd is so passionate about the Przewalski's Horse, he has just recently returned from Mongolia, where he was lucky enough to watch and study the herds of recently re-introduced Przewalski's Horses, now once again living happily in Mongolia's National Park areas.

I heard about some Mongolian survey work being done with the horses,Todd explains, I applied for a Zoo Friends fellowship through the Zoo and was so excited when I received funding for the trip and I was able to travel to Mongolia to see these horses in the wild.

Todd's trip gave him the chance to watch how Przewalski's Horses behaved in their herds and how the young males will travel in 'bachelor groups' while the 'harem' of mares roam with one stallion a bit like the Australian brumby family groups. Todd also discovered that along with plenty of Mongolian horse lovers working to save the breed, there are also many passionate horse-loving volunteers from other parts of the world trying to help protect this precious ancient horse.

I bumped into two New Zealand girls,Todd recalls, a pastry chef and a young horse mad girl from New York while I was in Mongolia, and we were all there for the same reason to help the Przewalski's. I think these wild horses give us a background to the entire history of horses and they help us understand where domestic horses come from.

When visitors come to the zoo, most people just glance at the wild horses with their plain brown coats and then they walk on by without paying much attention to them. But I make a point of explaining to people just how important and rare they are. The Mongolians have never tried to train or tame them and all the research suggests that you can't domesticate them. They are the original wild horse!

So what makes the Przewalski's Horse so special? These small, muscular and furry wild horses are in fact the last surviving subspecies of the wild horse the true ancient ancestors of the domestic horses we all know and love today. Their name (Can you spell it with your eyes closed? Ed) comes from the 19th century Russian explorer N. M Przewalski, who was one of the first scientists to study the horse when it roamed in the wild region of the Mongolia-China border. Loss of habitat, hunting and the inter-breeding of the Przewalski's Horse with domestic Mongolian horses, all contributed to the breeds near extinction mid way through last century.

Unlike domestic horses, the Przewalski's Horse comes in one standard beige color, with a pale belly and that famous dark, spiky mane and white muzzle that really sets them apart from your average pretty pony! Usually standing around 12 to 14 hands at the shoulder and weighing in between 200 to 340 kilograms, Przewalski's Horses have a coat that thickens into a fluffy, freeze proof fur during the wild winters in Mongolia and this then thins out during the warmer summer months. Mongolia has recently experienced some of the harshest winter conditions in recorded history, so the thick coat of the Przewalski is essential for their survival in such harsh conditions. And as you can see from the GORGEOUS baby pictures of Bataai and Orlitza, just like our much-loved domestic horses, Przewalski's mares give birth to a single foal after an 11 to 12 month pregnancy.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is located at Dubbo in Central Western NSW. The Zoo is open everyday from 9am - 4pm. For more information contact 02 6881 1400 or visit www.taronga.org.au.

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