Hope in the herd: Safari Park welcomes two endangered foals

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has welcomed two new visitors this season: Two female Przewalski’s horse foals. 

The first was born on Sept. 30 to mom Nikki and dad Ziggy, and the second on Oct. 24 to mom Gal and dad Ziggy. The pair are the first to be born at the Safari Park since 2023, and they can be spotted by guests in the Asian Plains exhibit.

The newborns are from a breed that is native to Mongolia and thought to be the only truly wild horse remaining on the planet. They differ from many other “wild” horses — such as the American mustang, which was descended from domesticated horses — Przewalski’s horse has always been wild and free. But threats of hunting and habitat loss loom for herds across Central Asia. 

By the 1980s, the horse was said to be extinct in the wild, though rehabilitation efforts reintroduced horses to their native land in Mongolia. In 2008, the species was officially classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Then, in 2011, their status was moved up to “endangered,” signaling population growth. 

However, fewer than 2,000 Przewalski’s horses remain worldwide.  

Today, the Przewalski’s horse has been a part of groundbreaking research at the San Diego Zoo. In 2020, the zoo made national headlines after successfully cloning a horse using frozen genetic material from the 1980s. 

The zoo is also a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan Program, which has welcomed 49 Przewalski’s horse foals.