China to reintroduce Przewalski's horses from Europe

China has announced plans to bring into country six Przewalski's horses, a sub-species of wild horse, from European nations. Since the animals were first naturalized in 1985, Przewalski's horse stallions have commonly been used for breeding.

Six horses from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and other European countries are scheduled to go through quarantine in Frankfurt, Germany before entering China, said Zhang Hefan, a senior engineer with the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding and Research Center. The stallions must be capable of reproduction, so strict sterility gene detection tests are being prepared before their arrival.

The reintroduction aims to avoid inbreeding and improve the overall quality of specimens in China. It is also expected to boost the survival capacity of the endangered wild horses, said Ma Xinping, director of the center.

This will be the fifth time that China has introduced the Przewalski's horses from other countries. The Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding and Research Center, which is home to 361 Przewalski's horses, is the biggest wild horse breeding center in Asia.

Przewalski's horses are named after a Russian colonel who believed he had discovered the breed in 1878 in Xinjiang.