Rare Wild Asian Horse Foal Marat Thrives with New Mother After Rejection

An endangered Asian wild horse foal, Marat, is thriving against the odds at the Minnesota Zoo. Born nearly two months ago, Marat faced a critical illness shortly after birth. Although he recovered with intensive care, his mother rejected him upon his return. His future seemed bleak until Alice, a domestic Pony of the Americas who had recently lost her own foal, accepted him.

Przewalski's horses are the last truly wild horse species. They were declared extinct in the wild in the 1960s but have since been reintroduced in Mongolia, China, Russia, and Ukraine. With fewer than 2,000 remaining, each foal is vital for their survival. "Being one of the true wild horses left in the world, behaviourally, they are a little bit different," said Dr. Randy Kochevar, the zoo's chief animal care officer.

Surrogate Mother Steps In

Veterinarians noted that this form of surrogacy is rare for Asian wild horses. Alice's acceptance of Marat has been a blessing for his caregivers. "It was really kind of a perfect fairy-tale ending... They just bonded like that," said Dr. Annie Rivas, the zoo's director of animal health. Alice is now helping Marat learn to interact with other horses.

Marat was born with limb issues that made standing difficult. "And because he was struggling to keep up with Mom in the herd, he was spending a lot of time lying down on the ground and unfortunately developed bacterial sepsis. So he was very, very sick," Rivas explained. The University of Minnesota's equine intensive care unit treated him for pneumonia and wounds.

Challenges Ahead for Marat

Despite his recovery, Marat's first-time mother, Nady, refused to accept him back. This left zoo staff pondering their next steps. "That left us with, What are we going to do with this foal?" Rivas said. Hand-rearing was an option but not ideal for teaching him how to be a wild horse.

Integrating Marat into a wild herd's social structure will be challenging. Alice will likely stay with him for several more months to aid this transition. The goal is for Marat to join the zoo's adult Przewalski's herd before he matures too much.

"He is definitely a wild horse," Rivas noted. As a stallion, Marat already exhibits a strong personality and dominance typical of wild horses. "He's trying to show me that he's the boss," she added.

The name Marat means "one who is brave," fitting for a foal who has faced so many challenges early in life. His journey highlights both the struggles and triumphs involved in conserving endangered species like Przewalski's horses.

With inputs from PTI