TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the Year of the Horse approaches on the lunar calendar, Taipei Zoo is inviting visitors to explore the diversity of horse species worldwide and learn about international conservation efforts to protect animals of the Equus genus.
The zoo has launched a special exhibition featuring an interactive game titled "Hoss Detective," which encourages visitors to learn about the survival challenges facing equines and the zoo’s role in global wildlife conservation, per a press release.
Exhibits are spread across multiple outdoor animal areas, including miniature horses and donkeys in the Children’s Zoo, African wild asses in the Desert Animal Area, Chapman’s zebras in the African Animal Area, and Mongolian wild horses in the Temperate Animal Area.
The exhibition also highlights other members of the order Perissodactyla, such as white rhinoceroses and Malayan tapirs. These animals share key characteristics as large, hoofed mammals with an odd number of toes.
While horses play a vital role in grassland ecosystems, many species are threatened by illegal hunting, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. Several face the risk of extinction. The African wild ass, for example, is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Taipei Zoo said it has long been committed to international conservation cooperation, successfully breeding endangered species and establishing satellite populations at the zoo, making it an important refuge for threatened animals in Asia.
The Przewalski’s horse, once declared extinct in the wild, is now classified as endangered following coordinated breeding efforts by zoos and conservation organizations worldwide. The species has since been reintroduced into its natural habitat, serving as a landmark example of biodiversity conservation.
The online interactive game "Hoss Detective" turns visitors into sleuths who navigate seven areas of the zoo in search of clues. Participants are asked to observe animal behavior, read exhibit information, and complete challenges to better understand the conservation issues facing wild horses.
Through encounters with wild asses and zebras from Africa to Przewalski’s horses surviving on the Mongolian grasslands, the game highlights the role equines have played in ecosystems and in the development of human societies.
Taipei Zoo said it hopes the special exhibition and "Hoss Detective" experience will help visitors gain a deeper understanding of equines during the Year of the Horse and inspire greater awareness and action to protect wildlife and their habitats.
