The wild horses transported last year from the Pentezug Wild Horse Reserve of the Hortobágy National Park have now been released into the wild. At the end of May, they were set free in the Altyn Dala region of central Kazakhstan.
Based on observations from the past year, the horses have coped exceptionally well with both the journey and the change in environment. They are healthy, in excellent condition, and have successfully adapted to the challenges of their new habitat.
The Hortobágy National Park Directorate plays a key role in the reintroduction program and has been involved in the conservation of the world’s last remaining wild horse species for nearly three decades. The Pentezug area of Hortobágy is home to Europe’s largest semi-wild population of Przewalski’s horses. Animals raised in this natural environment are particularly well-suited for reintroduction into the wild, as they grow up under conditions that preserve their natural behavior and adaptability from birth.
The success of the program has also been greatly supported by the professional expertise of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden. During last year’s capture, veterinary examinations, and transportation, zoo specialists ensured the animals’ safety and welfare, while also contributing to preparations for the reintroduction.
The Budapest Zoo has been an active participant in the international conservation program for Przewalski’s horses for decades and has cooperated with the Hortobágy wild horse program since its inception. The five horses that have now been released—one stallion from Switzerland’s Wildnispark Zürich and four mares from Hortobágy—arrived in Kazakhstan in June 2025.
The horses spent a year at a reintroduction center preparing for life in the wild, where experts continuously monitored their health and behavior. Observations showed that the animals successfully survived the extremely harsh winter, independently located food and water sources, and quickly adapted to the steppe environment.
According to conservation experts, this latest release provides further evidence that the conditions offered by the Hortobágy steppe create an excellent foundation for international reintroduction efforts. The long-term goal of the Kazakh initiative is to establish a self-sustaining wild horse population on the Torgai steppes, where the species disappeared more than two centuries ago.
The program is being implemented under the leadership of the Prague Zoo in cooperation with several European and Kazakh conservation organizations, including the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), the Frankfurt Zoological Society, Nuremberg Zoo, and Tierpark Berlin.
The partnership aims to have 40–45 Przewalski’s horses living freely in Central Kazakhstan by 2029, contributing to the restoration of the steppe ecosystem and the preservation of the region’s biodiversity, according to the Hortobágy National Park.
Przewalski’s horses to be reintroduced to Kazakhstan from Hortobágy
