Przewalski’s horses ( Equus przewalskii ) are “critically endangered” animals found in Mongolia. It is the last truly wild horse species. It is named after Nikołaj Przewalski, the Russian explorer who first discovered this horse in 1881 after hearing stories of its existence.
The species is critically endangered. Since all living horses are related to only 12 wild-born individuals, their genetic diversity is very low. Hence, the birth of this cloned horse that was born on August 6 is so important.
Cloning has been made possible through a partnership between San Diego Zoo Global, Revive & Restore, a wildlife conservation group, and ViaGen Equine, a company that clones horses and pets using cryo-preserved genetic material for 40 years.
The cloned individual has been christened Kurt and when he is old enough to reproduce, he is expected to help regain the genetic diversity sorely needed by Przewalski’s horse population.
“This new Przewalski foal was born completely healthy and reproductively normal,” Shawn Walker, ViaGen Equine’s chief science officer, said in a statement. “He’s head butting and kicking, when his space is challenged, and demanding a milk supply from his surrogate mother.”
The young male is a clone of a Przewalski stallion horse named Kuporovic who was born in 1975 in the United Kingdom, before being transferred to the United States in 1978, where he lived until 1998. His genes had been stored in the SDZG Frozen Zoo® since 1980, waiting for the necessary cloning technology to be available.
“This foal is expected to be one of the most genetically important individuals of its species,” explains Bob Wiese, director of life sciences at San Diego Zoo Global.
