Przewalski's horses. [Photo/Hangzhou News]

A plan to return Przewalski's horses to their ancestral habitat in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was launched on Aug 28, with an agreement signed at Hangzhou Safari Park in Zhejiang province, marking a new step in efforts to restore wild populations of the endangered species.

Przewalski's horse, a national first-class protected species listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, is the world's only surviving wild horse species. Its ancestors once roamed the Gobi and desert areas of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang. The species became extinct in the wild in the mid-20th century due to hunting and habitat degradation, with its survival relying on captive breeding.

China launched a reintroduction program in 1985, bringing captive-bred Przewalski's horses from Britain, Germany, and the United States to breeding facilities in Xinjiang. The first group was returned to the Kalamaili wilderness on Aug 28, 2001.

Under the new program, horses will be selected from captive populations in Zhejiang for return to Xinjiang. The animals will undergo adaptation and rewilding training before being gradually released into the wild. The cooperation will also establish regular scientific data sharing and monitoring to assess the released animals and help improve the genetic diversity of wild populations.

The initiative links ex-situ conservation with in-situ protection and rewilding, creating a more integrated approach to species conservation and supporting the recovery of Przewalski's horses in their historical range.