Visitors to Chester Zoo this month are in for a treat, as they have the chance to see a newborn onager, which is the rarest type of equine in the world.
The onager is an Asiatic wild ass, closely related to the donkey, that is native to the semi-desert regions of Iran.
An as-yet unnamed male foal was born on 10 June to Zarrinon and keepers report he is doing “very well”.
The type is classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation as it is declining rapidly due to poaching and disease.
There are only around 400 left in the wild. But Chester Zoo is part of an international conservation scheme and now has six onagers.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“Sadly, as the rarest species of equid in the world, there is a very real possibility that they could become extinct in the wild,” said Tim Rowlands of Chester Zoo.
“Constant conservation attention is required to secure the future of the species,” he added.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
For more information visit www.chesterzoo.org.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (28 June 2012)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.
