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How to improve Przewalski's horse re-introduction

Posted by Chapouthier on 04 Jan 2012 at 09:11 GMT

The re-introduction of the Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) in its original Mongolian Gobi is often considered as a great success of modern re-introduction methods. The Mongolian Gobi is however a harsh area and large mammals are especially vulnerable. The authors analyzed in depth the effects of a severe winter (2009-2010) on the populations of Przewalski's horses and of Asiatic wild asses (Equus hemionus). They found that Asiatic wild asses seemed to have suffered few losses by shifting their range westwards, whereas Przewalski's horses were extremely conservative as groups did not attempt to venture beyond their known home ranges. Thus several populations of suffered many losses. The authors suggest “multiple re-introduction sites with spatially dispersed populations for reintroduced Przewalski's horses and a landscape level approach beyond protected area boundaries to allow for migratory or nomadic movements in Asiatic wild asses.

No competing interests declared.