The wild horses of Mongolia, returning.

Long ago I mentioned Nigel Calder's book: The Environment Game. I said that it was worth reading and I still think so. Its theme is habitat restoration and the possibilities provided by -- optimistically written in the mid-1960s -- advances in food-production which allow more food to be produced on less land, ("factory farming" was part of the story) thus freeing up vast acreage for, potentially, re-creation of wilderness. It's an intriguing scenario and drawn out well.

I was reminded of Calder by an interview with a naturalist -- Claudia Feh -- who has led the effort to reestablish wild Mongolian horses. She has received a Rolex Award for Enterprise:

In 1992, she established TAKH, an organisation devoted to the restitution of sustainable, independent populations of the Przewalski horse to its native habitat, and the restoration of this habitat. Determined to overcome problems associated with captive breeding, TAKH has spent the past decade raising a natural herd of Przewalski horses on a 400-hectare tract of land in southern France’s remote Causse M㩪n, a high-altitude area selected by Feh for its similarity to the harsh Mongolian steppe.

Pretty inspiring stuff. More at Tour du Valat:

The Przewalski Horse (Equus ferus przewalski, Groves 1986) is the world’s last remaining wild horse. No one has so far succeeded in riding one on a regular basis. Nonetheless, unlike numerous domestic horses that have returned to the wild (mustangs, Namibian horses, etc.) this one now only lives in captivity. The last wild individuals were observed in Mongolia in the 1970s.