A newborn Przewalski's foal grazes with her mother at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Image Credit: Andrea Edwards, National Zoological Park
The birth of a Przewalski's horse—the first in the world to be born via artificial insemination—is giving the once decimated species new hope. The filly was born July 27 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia. Leading the team of scientists behind this breakthrough birth is reproductive physiologist Budhan Pukazhenthi (right), who received his Master’s and Ph.D. from the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland.
Przewalski's horses are rare and endangered wild horses native to Mongolia. They were declared extinct in the wild in the 1960s, but have since been reintroduced to Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. There are an estimated 1,500 Przewalski's horses in the world, most of which live in captivity.
The yet-to-be-named foal was born to a mare named Anne, a first-time mother who was raised at SCBI. Although Anne's pregnancy lasted 340 days, her filly's birth was a process nearly seven years in the making.
"They are not like our domestic horses," explains Pukazhenthi. "We had to really start developing the infrastructure and a management plan to study this."
Artificial insemination can be useful when dealing with endangered species because it does not require both animals to be together for a successful mating. The transport of animals to different locations can be difficult, dangerous, costly and potentially stressful.
“After all these years of persevering, I can honestly say I was elated to receive the call informing me that the foal had been born,” says Pukazhenthi. “I couldn’t wait to see her! This is a major accomplishment, and we hope our success will stimulate more interest in studying and conserving endangered equids around the world.”
Pukazhenthi describes the process of breeding the Przewalski's foal in the video below:
Budhan Pukazhenthi M.S. '92, Ph.D. '96 currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland in both the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences and the molecular cell biology program. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Alumni Chapter recognized Pukazhenthi in 2005 with its Outstanding Early Career Alumnus Award.
