India, Sept. 29 -- The birth of two foals belonging to one of the rarest equine species on Earth has triggered a wave of excitement and hope among scientists who seek to protect rangelands and grasslands.

Przewalski's horses are the world's last truly wild horses and are hard to handle and almost impossible to ride.

On August 22 and 30, mares Tess and Umbra gave birth to one foal each at a remote wildlife sanctuary on Kazakhstan's steppe. These are believed to be the first foals born after nearly 200 years on these grasslands.

The foals' births were the result of a decades-long effort to save the Przewalski's horse from extinction and "rewild" Kazakhstan's grasslands, where human encroachment had sent biodiversity into a tailspin.

"Th...