Przewalski's Horse Breeding Center

Przewalski's Horse Breeding Center

Przewalski's Horse Breeding Center

The Przewalski's Horse Breeding Center is located in Laotai, about 40 kilometers northwest of Jimusaer County.

The Przewalski’s horse, also known as Przewalski’s wild horse or Mongolian wild horse, originally inhabited Mongolia and China’s Junggar Basin, but true wild populations no longer exist.

Between 1985, 1986, and 1988, China imported 16 purebred Przewalski’s horses from Germany and the United Kingdom, establishing this breeding center. There are now over 150 horses across three generations, managed through a combination of captivity and semi-wild grazing.

The Przewalski’s horse belongs to the order Perissodactyla and the family Equidae. It stands about 124–140 cm at the shoulder, is around 2 meters in body length, and weighs approximately 300 kg. These horses typically have large heads, short necks, and light brownish-gray coats. Their bellies and legs are slightly lighter in color, while their hooves and tail manes are black. There is a grayish-white ring around the hind lower legs, and their manes stand upright with a black dorsal stripe running from the back to the tail. Key differences from domestic horses include shorter, upright mane and forelock without long flowing hair, a relatively smaller build, and more uniform coat color. The wild horse has a lifespan of 25–30 years, and mares remain fertile for up to 15 years.

The horses at the breeding center are primarily fed alfalfa, grain straw, and corn stalks, supplemented with corn, bran, and barley. Feeding is scheduled at fixed times and quantities — six times a day, with each horse receiving 8–10 kg of roughage daily, and concentrated feed strictly limited to 2.4 kg per day according to expert formulation. In winter, each horse is given an additional 1–2 kg of carrots, and in summer, 5 kg of watermelon. Stallions in Phase 0 receive an extra 2–4 eggs per day.

The breeding center is located in the eastern part of the Junggar Basin, within a temperate desert zone. The surface vegetation mainly consists of Reaumuria, Suaeda, and Tamarix. The terrain is flat, and the area west and north of the center currently belongs to the North Santai Oilfield in the Eastern Junggar Oil Region. This region has historically been a habitat for wild horses, but human activity and hunting led to their extinction in the area. One of the goals of the breeding center is to restore this region as a habitat for wild horses.

Currently, the center employs a dozen or so staff members dedicated to managing and researching the horses. The fenced area covers approximately 2 square kilometers. Facilities at the center include stables, enclosures, feed storage, hay barns, and staff residences. The horse population has grown from 16 to over 150, with one of the highest survival and reproduction rates in the world. Some first-generation horses born here have transitioned from small enclosure feeding to semi-wild grazing. In recent years, in addition to nearly a hundred experts and scholars from countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan visiting the center for research, many domestic groups and individuals also come to tour each year. The graceful and robust presence of the Przewalski’s horses leaves a deep impression on every visitor.