The Przewalski’s Horses

Zookeeper Dannielle with Naploeon

The couple

(Kathleen Fisher Photography)

And with Tahki

The BC Wildlife Park is home to two Przewalski’s horses, Takhi and Napoleon

Takhi (mare) was born at Quebec’s Granby Zoo on May 7, 2007, and Napoleon (stallion) was born at Ontario’s Toronto Zoo on July 4, 2008. Napoleon was eventually transferred to the Granby Zoo, where the pair has been coupled since 2010. After a 2-day journey across the country from Quebec, they arrived at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops on November 5, 2020, and are a part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) that intensively manages the care, movement, and breeding of Przewalski’s horses in captivity around the world.

The Przewalski’s horse is native to Central Asia, and is the only truly wild horse in the world. Modern day “wild” horses such as mustangs that roam freely in herds in the United States, are really feral ancestors of once domesticated horses. Przewalski’s horses are genetically distinct from the modern domestic horse with 33 chromosome pairs, compared to 32 for domestic horses. It is believed their ancestral lineages split some 38,000 to 160,000 years ago.

In the 1960’s only a handful of Przewalski’s horses were found in the wild. By 1969 one single stallion was observed in its native habitat. Further expeditions after this failed to locate any horses and the Przewalski’s horse was designated “extinct in the wild.” The main cause for their decline was attributed to habitat loss, competition from livestock, hunting, and harsh winters. After World War II only 12 breeding horses were left in the world’s zoos. One additional wild caught mare was added to this population in 1957. All Przewalski’s horses found today are decedents of these 13 animals. To ensure the survival and genetic diversity of the species, these horses continue to be bred in human care around the world. Today, several populations have now been released into Mongolia and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In 2019 the estimated population in Chernobyl was over 100 individuals. Although population stability is a long way off, this species was brought back from the brink of extinction because of worldwide conservation efforts made by zoological facilities like the BC Wildlife Park.

Although unsuccessful thus far, we remain optimistic that our pair will eventually defy the odds and successfully breed and produce a foal. Carefully managed breeding in human care aids in maintaining a level of genetic diversity, but the challenge remains that due to their low numbers the gene pool is small and birth rates are inevitably low.

Husbandry is an integral component of their care at the BCWP, which includes positive reinforcement training through protective contact. As with all Park animals, Takhi and Napoleon always have the choice to participate in training sessions, and are always positively rewarded should they chose to join in.

Since their arrival, Zookeeper Dannielle has dedicated many months of training with this pair: focusing on target training, positioning for voluntary injections, x-rays, and hoof presentation and filing. These

Horses sedated for trimming

A papier-mache wolf for enrichment

training behaviours allow the horses to be active participants in their own routine health checks, and this reduces the stress for the horses, their health care team, and their zookeeper.

Przewalski’s horses in human care are known to be difficult to anesthetize in order to perform medical procedures. Recently, the pair successfully underwent sedation for hoof trimming, dental care, vaccination, and physical examination. It required a team of 9 dedicated professionals, extremely precise assessments, and an abundance of patience to sedate and perform the necessary procedures. The training efforts made by Zookeeper Dannielle which allowed for these procedures to take place are considerably impressive, as Przewalski’s horses are often known for their very high strung and aggressive temperaments and behaviours.

True to their species, the pair are extremely smart, tough, and rugged. They are welladapted to our cold winters and hot summers. Like a good mare, Takhi is by far the spicier, more aggressive one that is very much in control of situations, and is more aware of her surroundings. She is also the larger of the two horses and stands at approximately 14 hands. During feeding times they can be exceptionally aggressive with each other if they have to wait for food or attention. Double barrel kicks delivered by Takhi, and bites to the neck by Napoleon are not uncommon, which is why protective contact between zookeepers and the pair is so important for safety, and is always maintained.

During the occasional calm moments, they both seem to enjoy scratches. When Takhi is occupied, Napoleon enjoys his cheeks, mane, and neck being scratched while he rests his head on Zookeeper Dannielle’s shoulder.

Providing enrichment for Park animals is an integral part of their care. Enrichment for the Przewalski’s horses is often scent-based and can include things like urine from another animal. Otherwise, cognitive enrichment like hay feeder balls to challenge them during their meal times tends to provoke more participation and interest. Last summer a papier-mâché wolf was created as an enrichment piece for Takhi and Napoleon. Keepers were curious to see if this new item inside their habitat would evoke the stallion’s natural response of protecting the mare from a predator by kicking, biting, or striking it. We didn’t have the reaction we thought we’d get, and the pair was only slightly curious of this new item and it was mainly ignored. Thinking of new enrichment pieces is always a fun experience for their zookeepers.

The BC Wildlife Park is honoured to have been given the opportunity to provide a permanent home to Takhi and Napoleon. To learn more about the BC Wildlife Park, and the important work we do, visit www.bcwildlife.org and stay in touch through our Facebook page. We are a non-profit charity dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of British Columbia's wildlife. The majority of the Park animals are rescued. It is our mission to encourage the appreciation of and respect for BC's wildlife and to assist in preserving biodiversity through education, research, captive breeding and rehabilitation services.