Critically Endangered​ Horse Born At San Diego Zoo Safari Park

SAN DIEGO, CA — A critically endangered Przewalski's horse was recently born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, zoo officials announced Thursday.

The horse was born to his mother Nikki and father Ziggy through a pairing recommended by the Association of Zoo and Aquariums' Przewalski's Horse Species Survival Plan, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Overseen by conservationists nationwide, the program ensures healthy and genetically diverse Przewalski's horse populations.

The Przewalski's horse is a critically endangered species that was considered extinct in the wild until 1996. The species has survived for the past 40 years almost entirely in zoos around the world, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Ongoing reintroductions of Przewalski's horses into their native habitats have established several herds in grasslands in China and Mongolia.

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