The World's Last Wild Horses

Humans have domesticated horses for thousands of years. They are very useful livestock for the survival of humans; they are mainly used for transportation of people or supplies. By 1870, most species of horses were domesticated, besides the Przewalski's horses which were generally based in the steppes of Mongolia and China. This species became endangered in the mid-20th century, and as a result of this, the Przewalski's horses were no longer free, being kept in captivity in an effort to conserve this species.

In a recent study, scientists have sequenced the complete genomes of eleven Przewalski's horses and have found lineages that lead back to the ancestors of this species. These horses have been connected by gene flow long after this species has diverged from the rest of the horses. This dates back to about 45,000 years ago, and humans have domesticated horses since about 5,500 years ago.

Unfortunately, as a result of this endangered species' captivity, there is lower genetic diversity, inbreeding, and sometimes the introduction of genes from domesticated animals. One of the researchers, Ludovic Orlando, has stated, "Even though Przewalski's horses went through an extreme demographic collapse, the population seems to recover and is still genetically diverse." My personal reflection on this is that any endangered species (with the exception of mosquitoes) is worth the efforts of trying to salvage. Although there are very few of these horses left, it is great that the species is headed in a good direction, and as stated by Orlando, "There is, thus, hope for [other] endangered populations, fighting similar demographic issues."