Przewalski's Horse Reintroduction Center

The Przewalski's Horse Reintroduction Center is a research station of the Orenburgsky State Nature Reserve (the Pre-Ural Steppe section, Orenburg Oblast), where a semi-wild population of Przewalski's horses — a subspecies of wild horse listed in Russia's Red Data Book — has been forming since 2015. By 1969 these horses had disappeared entirely from the wild; every animal alive today descends from 11 wild horses and one domestic mare captured in the early 20th century.

Center History

The center was created under the federal project "Conservation of Biological Diversity and Development of Ecological Tourism", with support from Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources, the Russian Geographical Society and the Orenburg Oblast government. Its goal is to build a stable, semi-wild population of Przewalski's horse in Russia and, eventually, to resettle it in other regions: some of the founding horses from the Pre-Ural Steppe are planned to be transferred to the Khakassky Nature Reserve to set up a new reintroduction center there.

What's Here

The infrastructure includes a complex of enclosures, acclimatization pens and a research facility. Staff keep the horses under constant observation, manage the population's genetic control and provide veterinary care, and also run tours, lectures and educational programs, and work with volunteers.

The Orenburgsky Nature Reserve

The center sits within the Orenburgsky Nature Reserve, which comprises five sections — Talovskaya Steppe, Burtinskaya Steppe, Aituarskaya Steppe, Ashchisayskaya Steppe and Pre-Ural Steppe — covering 38,191 hectares in total. Access is only along designated routes, to avoid harming the environment; each steppe has its own relief, mountain forms, lakes and springs.

Getting There

To reach the Pre-Ural Steppe section from Orenburg, take the road to the village of Belyaevka, then continue through the settlement of Burtinsky to the village of Sazan, and from there about another 6 km following the signs to the center. The drive from Orenburg takes around 2 hours.