Population of kulans and Przewalski’s horses on the rise in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources continues its efforts to reintroduce the Przewalski’s horse, Vice Minister Nurken Sharbiyev said at today’s meeting of the Senate Committee on agriculture, nature use, and rural development, Kazinform News Agency reports.
He reminded that historically, the Przewalski’s horse inhabited nine regions of Kazakhstan, namely Aktobe, Kostanay, Karaganda, Akmola, East Kazakhstan, parts of Almaty, Kyzylorda, Zhambyl, and Turkistan. However, the species disappeared from the wild by the late 1960s.
Thanks to cooperation with international organizations, the first 14 Przewalski’s horses (12 mares and 2 stallions) were brought from the Prague Zoo to the Altyn Dala nature reserve in Kostanay region in June 2024 and 2025. It is planned to bring the total number of horses to 40 by 2029.
Kulans were relocated to the Ile-Balkhash and Altyn Dala reserves as part of the restoration program in 2024.
Sharbiyev noted that relocating animals and creating conditions for their adaptation helps preserve species and restore the ecological balance of Kazakhstan’s unique steppe ecosystems. 14 kulans were brought from Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan in the 1950s–60s. Today, their population has grown to 4,614.
Earlier, seven wild Przewalski’s horses were transported from Czechia and Hungary to the Altyn Dala State Nature Reserve. Their adaptation process in Kazakhstan is underway.
Noteworthy, the number of snow leopards in Kazakhstan has more than doubled, reaching approximately 189 individuals.
