Domestic mare adopts newly orphaned horse foal — all so he could learn 'how to be a horse'

A wholesome story took place at the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, where a Przewalski's horse foal, Marat, got adopted by a Pony of the Americas, Alice. Thankfully, the endangered wild Asian horse foal can mature well with a mother figure who is there to guide it through everything. As reported by NBC, Marat, the Przewalski's horse, became medically critical immediately after his birth and was only able to survive due to intensive care at the Minnesota Zoo. 

While the foal was able to make it through, his mother refused to accept him after he returned. This news worried the zookeepers, but thankfully, Alice came to the rescue. It wasn't just a gain for Marat, but Alice too, who had recently lost her newborn. This is a new kind of surrogacy that has happened with Asian wild horses, revealed the staff members and veterinarians. 

Once freely roaming the Eurasian steppes, Przewalski's horses vanished from the wild by the 1960s. Captive breeding then rescued these species and reintroduced them in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. There are approximately only 2,000 surviving in the zoos now, with persistent threats like habitat loss, disease, harsh climate, and low genetic diversity looming large. As reported by ABC, Kurt Heizmann, the zoo's director of animal care, further talked about the species, stating, "Being one of the true wild horses left in the world, behaviorally, they are a little bit different. They've never been truly domesticated, and they're shorter and stockier than familiar breeds."

Dr. Annie Rivas, the zoo's director of animal health, shared how Marat was born with certain limb problems that prevented him from standing up straight. Due to this, he found it difficult to stay close to his mother in the herd and ended up lying more on the ground, eventually developing bacterial sepsis as well. The University of Minnesota's equine intensive care unit then helped the foal recover from pneumonia. But by the time he was back to good health, his mother, Nady, didn't want him anymore. 

The staff was perplexed about what to do with the wild horse, "That left us with... 'We could hand-rear him, but we're not going to be the ones who are the best at teaching them how to be a horse — especially a wild horse,'" shared Rivas. This was when Alice stepped in and adopted the foal; the domestic mare took on the role of his new mother and started nurturing him.

Rivas also shared that the next step would be the actual challenge when they attempt to introduce Marat into the social hierarchies of a wild herd. Thankfully, Alice is already helping Marat learn how to interact with other horses. The staff will also keep them together for a few more months, but not for too long, ensuring he joins the adult Przewalski's herd at the right time. All the staff members are more than relieved that Alice can nurture Marat as his new mother, and their bond is a unique one. Rivas shared, "It was really kind of a perfect fairy-tale ending. They just bonded like that."