The staff at Australia’s Taronga Western Plains Zoo is delighted by the birth of a male Przewalski’s Horse foal born on May 25.

This is the fourth foal for experienced mother Genghis, who is taking motherhood in her stride.



Photo Credit: Taronga Western Plains Zoo

“The foal has been named Khan, as a tribute to his mother,” said keeper Jack Foley. “So far we couldn’t be happier with how both mother and foal are doing. Khan is staying close to his mother and is still finding his place in the herd. He can often be spotted sleeping in the sun during the day.”

“Khan is the second new arrival to the herd this year, with a filly named Dash born on January 1. As Khan grows he will interact more with Dash and no doubt we’ll see them galloping around the paddock together.”

“Genghis is a very relaxed, easy going mother and has been a pillar of the breeding program at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, with two of her four foals having already bred, carrying on this important genetic line to another generation.”

“At the moment Khan has quite a woolly looking coat however, as winter passes and the weather starts to warm up he will start to shed this layer,” said Jack.

Khan was born just before the July 3 opening of the new Wild Herds exhibit. Wild Herds is a newly redeveloped area that will showcase the Przewalski’s Horse and Taronga’s successful breeding program for this species and its role in helping to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

The Przewalski’s Horse is classified as Endangered, but they were once extinct in the wild and lived only in zoos. Prior to reintroduction programs Przewalski’s Horses were last seen in the wild in the Gobi Desert, in south Mongolia. Their numbers dwindled as a result of human interference such as poaching and capture. Today, their main threats are habitat loss and low genetic diversity.