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Where Kahn once ruled, the Takhi roam again
August 10, 1997
Web posted at: 9:45 p.m. EDT (0145 GMT)ULAN BATOR, Mongolia (CNN) -- The rolling hills of the Mongolian steppes look much as they did eight centuries ago when Genghis Kahn's warriors conquered much of the world as they knew it. But for many years one element was missing: the famed Takhi horses, whose ancestors Kahn and his men rode to victory.
Now, thanks to government preservation efforts, the Takhi are beginning to thrive again.
The Takhi -- called the Przewalski horse in Europe -- is one of the rarest animals in the world, native to Mongolia but since the 1950s surviving only in zoos. There are 1,200 in captivity.
Endangered horses in Mongolia 884K/17 sec./160x120
QuickTime movieIn 1994 the government of Mongolia released two groups into the wild in the Hustain Nuruu nature reserve, and now the breed has begun to multiply. The government hopes to set aside almost one-third of the countryside for preservation by the year 2000, which would benefit these zebra-like, stocky horses.
The Takhi are distinguished by heavy manes and coloring that allow them to blend into the terrain. In winter they have white on their bellies to match the snow; in summer, their pelt darkens as the snow melts.
The word Takhi means "spirit," a reference to the horse's fierce independence and untamable nature. Genghis Kahn and his men were able to ride them, and conquer most of the Chin empire in Northern China. They also raided Central Asia, Persia and Eastern Europe.
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