Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
URUMQI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — The Przewalski's horse population in China has exceeded 900, accounting for one-third of the world's total. The achievement has been hailed by the international community as a successful example of reintroduction, according to an event held in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to mark the 40th anniversary of the reintroduction of Przewalski's horses to China.
Przewalski's horse is considered the only species of wild horse living on our planet today. Its evolutionary history spans 60 million years, and its historical homeland was the Dzungarian Basin in Xinjiang and some areas of Mongolia. Przewalski's horse is a first-category protected wild animal in China.
In 1985, China launched a program to reintroduce Przewalski's horses from abroad. Breeding bases were established in Xinjiang and neighboring Gansu Province.
A scientific approach to conservation, the development of a special monitoring system, habitat improvement and active attempts to return the ungulate to the wild have contributed to a gradual and stable increase in the population of this animal.
According to Yu Minhai, deputy head of the Forestry and Grassland Administration of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding and Research Center, the largest Przewalski's horse breeding base in Asia, has managed to breed more than 800 animals and release 146 of them into the wild. There are currently 546 Przewalski's horses in Xinjiang.
To expand the population's geographic distribution, Xinjiang has in recent years donated 41 Przewalski's horses to Mongolia, as well as Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The interregional cooperation helps provide a larger and more diverse habitat that is beneficial for the recovery of the endangered species.
As it became known, in Gansu province the number of Przewalski's horses has already reached 250 individuals.
"The increase in the Przewalski's horse population is the result of multilateral cooperation," said Li Linhai, deputy secretary general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association. According to him, the subspecies' return from the brink of extinction clearly illustrates China's achievements in conservation. -0-
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