July 2, 2009—To help revive the Przewalski's horse, or takhi, in Mongolia, a Washington, D.C.-area zoo facility hosted the first ever reverse vasectomy on the species.

Video by Public Television's Wild Chronicles, from National Geographic Mission Programs

Unedited Transcript

THEY ARE CONSIDERED THE ONLY WILD HORSES LEFT IN THE WORLD.

THE TAKHI, KNOWN AS PRZEWALSKI HORSES IN THE WEST, DONT LOOK LIKE THEIR DOMESTICATED COUSINS.

THEYRE NOTED FOR THEIR LARGE HEADS STIFF ZEBRA-LIKE MANES POTBELLIES AND SHORT, STOCKY LEGS.

AND ALSO UNLIKE THEIR COUSINS THEYVE NEVER BEEN TRULY DOMESTICATED.

BUT THE TAKHI IS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.

40 YEARS AGO THESE HORSES DISSAPPEARED FROM THEIR NATIVE HOME OF MONGOLIA AND WERE DECLARED EXTINCT IN THE WILD.

AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF TAKHI SURVIVED IN CAPTIVITY.

SOME ARE HERE AT THE NATIONAL ZOOS CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH CENTER JUST OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

IN AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TAKHI BEING BRED HERE IN CAPTIVITY WILL SOME DAY BE SET FREE IN THEIR NATIVE LANDS.

BUT IT ISNT A SIMPLE PROCESS.

MANY OF THE CAPTIVE HORSES WERE GENETICALLY RELATED.

SO CONSERVATIONISTS MUST CAREFULLY MANAGE THE BREEDING.

AND JUST LIKE MANY SINGLE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR A PARTNER THE HORSES HAVE FOUND THEIR MATCHES ON THE COMPUTER.

ITS BASICALLY A COMPUTERIZE DATING SYSTEM EXCEPT THAT THE ANIMALS DONT GET A CHANCE TO CHOOSE WHO THEY WANT TO DATE BUT WE TELL THEM WHO THEY NEED TO DATE, BASICALLY THATS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MAINTAIN THE POPULATION. THE DATING MATCHES ARE BASED NOT ON TEMPERAMENT OR HANDSOME OR BEING CUTE BUT ITS BASED ON THE GENETICS.

IT TURNS OUT THAT ONE OF THE MOST DESIRABLE STUDS IS A TAKHI NAMED MINNESOTA AT THE NATIONAL ZOO.

HIS DIVERSE GENES MAKE HIM A GOOD MATCH THAT WILL ADD STRENGTH TO THE SPECIES.

BUT THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM- HE'S UNABLE TO PASS THOSE GENES ON.

EARLIER HE'D HAD A VASECTOMY WHILE AT ANOTHER ZOO.

TEMPERAMENTALLY HE IS A WONDERFUL STALLION AND AS YOU CAN SEE HE IS A VERY HANDSOME LOOKING STALLION AND THERE IS A LOT OF THINGS GOING WELL WITH HIM SO WE DECIDED HOW BEST CAN WE ACHIEVE THIS REVERSAL, WHICH IS BASICALLY REVERING THE VASECTOMY THAT WAS DONE YEARS AGO.

A REVERSE VASECTOMY OPERATION HAD NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED ON A TAKHI.

BUT TWO SURGERIES LATER ZOO STAFF ARE CONFIDENT MINNESOTA WILL BE ABLE TO SIRE OFFSPRING.

AND NOW HE IS WITH THESE FEMALES RIGHT THERE, BACK THERE ENJOYING HIS DATE. ALL WE CAN SAY IS THAT THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE THAT HE IS DOING WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING WITH THEM AND HE ENJOYS THEIR COMPANY.

THE FIRST CAPTIVE-BRED TAKHIS WERE RELEASED INTO THE WILDS OF MONGOLIA IN 1992.

THEIR HOME IS HERE IN HUSTAI NATIONAL PARK IN THE FOOTHILLS OF A MOUNTAIN RANGE NOT FAR FROM THE CAPITAL CITY OF ULAANBAATAR. OVER THE YEARS, 84 CAPTIVE-BRED HORSES HAVE BEEN SET FREE.

THEYVE GONE FORTH AND MULTIPLIED. TODAY THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 ACCORDING TO PARK DIRECTOR NAMKHAI BANDI.

SOT THROUGHOUT HISTORY HUMANS HAVE REPEATEDLY DOMESTICATED WILD ANIMALS. BUT IN THIS CASE ANIMALS, ONCE CAPTIVE IN ZOOS, HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY REINTRODUCED INTO A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT." WHILE THE RE-INTRODUCTION PROGRAM HAS BEEN A SUCCESS THERE IS YET ANOTHER HURDLE TO THEIR COME BACK.

THEYRE IN DANGER OF LOSING THEIR HABITAT AND MUST COMPETE WITH LIVESTOCK FOR AVAILABLE GRAZING PASTURES.

THE TAKHI MAY ALSO BE INTER-BREEDING WITH DOMESTIC HORSES DILUTING THE SPECIES.

PARK RANGERS TRAVERSE THE PARK DAILY PROTECTING THE TAKHI AND TRYING TO KEEP THEM AWAY FROM DOMESTICATED ANIMALS.

BUT FUNDING FOR THIS IMPORTANT WORK IS SCARCE.

WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY MONEY FROM THE GOVERNMENT. TO SUSTAIN OUR WORK IN SAVING THIS RARE SPECIES, TOURISM IS VITAL." IN AN EFFORT TO BOOST FUNDING A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION CALLED CONSERVATION INK IS WORKING WITH MONGOLIANS TO CREATE INTERPRETIVE MAPS OF HUSTAI PARK.

REVENUE FROM THE PUBLICATIONS WILL GO TO THE PARK.

AND ITS ALSO HOPED THE MAPS WILL GENERATE INTEREST IN THE AREA LEADING TO MORE TOURISM.

BY PUTTING OUT MAPS OF THESE PARKS WERE IN EFFECT PUTTING THE PARKS LITERALLY ON THE MAP.

WHAT WERE TRYING TO HELP WITH IS THE BUILDING OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WHICH WOULD FORM THE BASIS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE SUPPORT LONG TERM OF THE HORSES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

IF THE NUMBER OF TAKHI IN HUSTAI PARK CAN REACH 500 SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE HORSES HAVE A REAL CHANCE AT SURVIVAL.

HORSES ARE CENTRAL TO LIFE IN MONGOLIA

THE WILD TAKHI, WHOSE NAME LITERALLY MEANS SPIRIT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN REVERED.

AND NOW, THE SPIRIT HORSE ONCE VANISHED FROM THE WILD IS AGAIN A VIABLE PART OF THE MONGOLIAN LANDSCAPE.