Seven endangered Przewalski's horses bred in captivity were released to the wild in northwest China's Gansu Province Sunday.

Zoologists said the release is part of an initiative to prevent the critically endangered horses from becoming extinct.

The horses, aged two to eight, were released in the Xihu National Natural Reserve. "They adapt quite well in the wild. Actually the area used to be the wild horse's habitat," said Sun Zhicheng, an official with the natural reserve.

The Przewalski horses historically live on the grassland that is now part of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Mongolia. As the only surviving subspecies of horse that can rarely be domesticated, the Przewalski faced extinction in the wake of rampant hunting beginning in the early 19th century.

China started a breeding program in 1986 relying on Przewalski horses brought back from Britain and Germany to breed the species. Scores of the bred horses have since been released to the wild.

The population of the Przewalski is about 1,300, zoologists said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2010)