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Przewalski foal born at Port Lympne Reserve, in Lympne, Hythe

A rare foal has been born at Port Lympne Reserve.

Keepers at the popular zoo celebrated the arrival of the endangered Przewalski foal earlier this month.

The baby horse - who is yet to be named - has already found his feet and has been filmed happily grazing alongside his mother.

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The little foal remains close to his mother's side
The little foal remains close to his mother's side

He is the second foal to be born at the park in a year and keepers say his arrival is good news for the species.

Head of hoofstock section, Bob Saville said: “We’re delighted to welcome this little fella to our herd of Przewalski horses.

“He will help ensure the survival of the species.

“We have previously returned these horses to the wild in China and Mongolia and we are looking into returning more of these wonderful animals in the near future.”

Native to Mongolia, the Przewalski horse was declared extinct in the wild in the 1970s.

Through one of the most successful co-operative breeding programmes ever run, the species was successfully bred in captivity and protected.

After positive reintroductions to the wild the horses were classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered, before their status was revised to endangered in 2011.

Mr Saville adds: “This little foal is doing really well and it’s lovely to watch him finding his feet and becoming bolder on a daily basis, although he doesn’t leave his mother’s side for too long.

“This breed of horse is extremely hardy and they are used to temperatures that can be as low as 40 degrees below freezing, so a little bit of rain is no problem for him.”

Visitors to the reserve will be able to see the foal and the herd of wild horses on the Asian Experience, when they jump on board a safari truck at Basecamp to enjoy a safari.

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