Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
4w ago

Endangered Przewalski’s Foal Flourishes With Pony Surrogate and Readies for Herd Introduction

Innovative veterinary care followed by first-of-its-kind interspecies surrogacy has paved the way for the foal’s integration into the adult herd

Minnesota Zoo director of animal care Anne Rivas examines Marat, a Przewalski's horse foal, nurses and his adoptive mother Alice, a Pony of the Americas, on June 26, 2025, in Apple Valley, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
Marat, a Przewalski's horse foal, rests with his adoptive mother Alice, a Pony of the Americas, at the Minnesota Zoo on June 26, 2025 in Apple Valley, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
Marat, a Przewalski's horse foal, nurses from his adoptive mother Alice, a Pony of the Americas, at the Minnesota Zoo on June 26, 2025 in Apple Valley, Minn. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Overview

  • Marat was nursed back from severe bacterial sepsis and pneumonia in the University of Minnesota’s equine intensive care unit after struggling to keep up with his herd due to limb problems.
  • His first-time mother, Nady, rejected him upon recovery, prompting zoo staff to seek a foster solution rather than hand-rearing a truly wild horse.
  • Alice, a domestic Pony of the Americas mare that lost her own foal, immediately accepted Marat and provided critical maternal care in one of the first known interspecies surrogacies for wild Asian horses.
  • Marat is now thriving under Alice’s nurturing, exhibiting strong stallion traits and learning vital herd behaviors from his surrogate companion.
  • Zoo staff have begun planning Marat’s gradual introduction into the adult Przewalski’s horse herd, a key step for bolstering the endangered population of fewer than 2,000 individuals worldwide.