Shara. Togs. Just two female Przewalski’s horses but they carried a lot of weight. 3,000 of it, literally miles. Flown from the UK to Kazakhstan, born and raised at Marwell near Winchester, Hampshire. Their destination was the open grassland. The goal simple. Keep their species alive.
“We are proud to have played ourpart in bringing these incredibly special horsesback to the wild.”
Ian Goodwin from Marwell says this. He’s seen them for half a century. These horses were at the zoo from day one, 1972. They know the breed better than almost anyone.
The odds used to be zero.
Przewalski’s were declared extinct in the wild back in the 1960S. Across central Asia, once common, now ghosts. Down to maybe a dozen left in cages. Just breeding pairs. Now, things shifted. In 2014 there were 178 adult horses according to the IUCN. It’s up but still endangered. Still fragile.
Is 178 enough?
The Kazakh release is part of a European zoo push to revive the stock. It’s a long road. The journey itself—flying horses across continents—seems insane. Necessary? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean it feels right. Watching animals in crates instead of on plains. Yet here they are. Back on the ground.
No tidy bow at the end. The future isn’t guaranteed. They are out there now. Running. That has to be something.
