In pics: Przewalski's horses in Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in China's Gansu

Przewalski's horses are pictured in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Sept. 24, 2025. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

The Przewalski's horse is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species and is under first-class national protection.

Once extinct in China due to excessive poaching and environmental degradation, the Przewalski's horses were reintroduced to the country from Britain, Germany and the United States starting in the mid-1980s, and were raised in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province.

Przewalski's horses have adapted well to the environment at the West Lake Reserve, where their population totals 212 at present.

A Przewalski's horse foal is pictured in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Sept. 24, 2025. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

Przewalski's horses are pictured in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Sept. 24, 2025. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows the Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows the Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows the Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

A Przewalski's horse foal is pictured in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Sept. 24, 2025. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows Przewalski's horses drinking water in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

Staff members check the daily life of Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Sept. 24, 2025. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows the Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 24, 2025 shows the Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)

Staff members check feces of the Przewalski's horses in the Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Sept. 24, 2025. The Dunhuang West Lake National Nature Reserve in Gansu Province covers an area of approximately 660,000 hectares, featuring a diverse ecosystem including wetlands, grasslands, forests and Gobi deserts, which makes it an experimental zone for the wild release of the Przewalski's horses. (Xinhua/Lang Bingbing)