Wild Horses Return to Mongolia After 65-Year Absence

After 65 years of separation, the khulan is finally coming home to eastern Mongolia.

The Asiatic wild ass, known locally as khulan, disappeared from eastern Mongolia in the late 1950s when fencing went up along the Trans-Mongolian Railway. The barriers blocked these wide-ranging animals from reaching their traditional grazing lands and water sources across the vast Mongolian steppe.

But a collaboration between the Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia's government, and local partners is changing that story. Starting last May, teams removed sections of railway fencing and created monitored safe crossing zones near the China-Mongolia border.

The results exceeded expectations. New research published this month in the journal Oryx confirms that hundreds of khulan now regularly appear in multiple groups east of the railway. They're not just passing through—they're settling in and rebuilding a population.

"Documenting khulan crossing this long-standing barrier and beginning to re-establish in their former range represents an extraordinary conservation breakthrough," said Buuveibaatar Bayarbaatar, the Wildlife Conservation Society scientist who led the study.

Mongolia's Gobi Desert hosts about 91,000 khulan, representing more than 84% of all remaining wild asses on Earth. Despite those impressive numbers, the species still faces serious threats from habitat loss, competition with livestock, illegal hunting, and climate change.

The Ripple Effect

The khulan's return matters far beyond one species finding its way home. As one of Earth's most wide-ranging land mammals, these animals need vast connected landscapes to survive. They travel long distances between seasonal grazing areas and scarce water sources in one of the planet's harshest environments.

When khulan thrive, Mongolia's entire steppe ecosystem becomes more resilient. Their movement patterns help shape grassland health, and their presence supports the predators and scavengers that depend on them.

The project required years of careful coordination with provincial authorities, border agencies, and railway managers. Teams even tested temporary fence gaps to prove wildlife could cross safely without causing train collisions.

Now Mongolia is advancing plans for a new protected area east of the railway to secure habitat for the long term. Combined with a recent agreement to protect 30% of the country's land and water, the future looks brighter for khulan and the wild places they call home.

Sometimes the path forward means removing the barriers we built in the past.