In a touching tale of unlikely companionship, a gentle pony steps in as a mother figure to a rare foal, showcasing the beauty of love and resilience. This story unfolds at the Minnesota Zoo, where an extraordinary bond is formed in the face of adversity.

Meet Marat, a tiny Przewalski’s horse foal who burst into the world on May 17 with a lot of expectations resting on his small shoulders. As the emblem of a long-term conservation project aimed at saving his critically endangered species, Marat was meant to embody hope. However, just days after his birth, disaster struck. Marat fell seriously ill and was whisked away for treatment at the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical Center.

While Marat fought hard to recover, his mother, Nady, faced her own grief. The separation led her to reject him, a heartbreaking response known to occur in wild horses after a disruption. As Marat returned to the zoo, it began to look as though his future was in jeopardy, leaving everyone around him concerned.

But all hope was not lost! Enter Alice, a loving Pony of the Americas mare from Brush Poppin Ranch. Just prior to Marat’s arrival at the zoo, Alice had experienced her own tragedy, losing her newborn filly. Sensing Alice’s nurturing temperament, her owners, Sylvia and Jeff Passow, decided to take a leap of faith. They drove to the zoo, hoping that Alice could extend her motherly instincts to young Marat.

The moment Alice and Marat met was one for the storybooks. Instinctively, Alice embraced the foal, nuzzling him gently and allowing him to nurse. It was as if she instinctively recognized him as her own, and from that magical moment on, the two forged an unbreakable bond. They became inseparable, with Alice providing not just nourishment but also the love and security Marat so desperately needed.

“This kind of story encapsulates the essence of conservation: collaboration, compassion, and hope,” articulated Randy Kochevar, the Chief Animal Care, Health, Conservation, and Behavior Officer at the Minnesota Zoo. Thanks to the generosity of the Passows and Alice’s maternal instincts, Marat is given a second chance at life.

Przewalski’s horses are unique — they’re the last truly wild horse species on Earth, having never been domesticated. Once considered extinct in the wild by the 1960s, the species has been preserved through meticulous breeding efforts and international cooperation. But with fewer than 2,000 left, each new foal is vital for the future of this beloved species.

The Minnesota Zoo has been at the forefront of these preservation efforts, helping to raise over 50 foals since its inception in 1978. Each birth is a critical milestone, representing both a step toward restoring this magnificent animal to its natural habitat and a reminder of the interconnectedness of all living creatures.

This year alone, remarkable strides have been made in conservation, with 150 Przewalski’s horses relocated back to their native steppes in Kazakhstan where they are expected to thrive and help bolster the species’ numbers.

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