The herd of wild horses is complete, conservationists have released the final animals in the mountains on the Czech-Austrian border
The herd of wild horses on the Czech border with Austria is now complete. Conservationists brought there the remaining mares from the European Serengeti nature reserve in the former military area of Milovice near Prague.
“We have taken advantage of the cooler weather. Still, we had to start working on capturing them at 5 am to prevent the animals from overheating,” said Dalibor Dostal, director of the conservationist organisation European Wildlife, which founded the Milovice reserve in cooperation with scientists in 2015. The conservationists brought the first group of wild horses to the Novohradske Mountains, also called the Gratzen Mountains, in late May.
The formation of a new herd of wild horses in this site was funded from the proceeds of a benefit concert.
“Setting up a new group of wild horses in the south of Bohemia is very important to ensure that the numerous Czech population can genetically further diversify in the future,” added Dalibor Dostal. According to the International Stud Book kept in Exmoor, England, the biggest population of wild horses in the European continent is located in the Czech Republic. Only on the British Isles is the population more numerous. The grazing of wild horses increases the abundance of flowering species in nature and helps not only flowers but also butterflies and other species of open countryside.
The herd of wild horses in the Gratzen Mountains is complete for the time being, it will expand only after another increase in the reserve’s area. The site has also been home to a group of back-bred aurochs since the beginning of the year.
Photo: Jan Kurz
