A group of the world’s rarest wild horses have been flown back to their ancestral homeland in a bid to restore a herd of the animal in their natural habitat.

The four Przewalski’s horses will join others already settling into the new wildlife on the vast grasslands of Kazakhstan after being specially selected from collections at European zoos.

Equine experts view the critically endangered Przewalski’s horse as the missing genetic link between ancient breeds first domesticated by man and modern-day breeds.

Video footage of the horses’ journey shows one mum and her adventurous foal getting used to new temporary stabling before joining the newly wild herd.

As the youngster frolics around the enclosure, mum can be seen keeping a close eye on the foal as she nuzzles it and makes sure it stays close.

At one point the foal ducks under mum for a quick feed before exploring the new surroundings again.

The four females had been specially selected from a herd in captivity at Germany’s Berlin Zoo for genetic traits that make them fit for life in the wilds on the Altyn Dala Steppe.

They will join three other Przewalski’s horses already there from the Czech Republic’s Prague Zoo, which is leading a relocation project to build up a herd of 40 animals.

Berlin Zoo’s Zoological Director Christian Kern said: “The Przewalski’s horses were specifically selected for release into the wild.

“Only wild horses with suitable genetics, optimal physical fitness, and excellent health are suitable for reintroduction.

“We want to create the best conditions so that the wild horses can survive the harsh winters in the steppe later on.”

Berlin Zoo director Dr Andreas Knieriem explained in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Wild horses are an important part of our natural heritage, and their return to Kazakhstan is a milestone for the joint efforts of the institutions involved.

“Przewalski’s horses also have an important function in the steppe as large herbivores.

“They ensure that the grass stays short and thus protect the steppe from fires.”

More horses will be brought from Hungary’s Hortobagy National Park, which has the largest group of Przewalski’s horses outside Mongolia, and also from Germany’s Nuremberg Zoo.

Experts believe the short-legged, mohawk-maned horse split from a common ancestor with modern horses up to 160,000 years ago.

Officially listed as endangered, it was extinct in the wild until reintroduction programmes from zoo stock began in the 1990s.