Wild horses of the Konik breed

About 50 wild horses of the Konik breed were moved into the Naliboki Landscape Reserve in 2019 in line with an agreement signed with the Netherlands. It was made possible thanks to rewilding – a modern concept for restoring endemic ecosystems by means of returning large animals to their original habitats.

Tarpans were caught for military purposes in the Naliboki Forest back in 1409 before the Battle of Grunwald upon orders of Grand Duke Vitaut. Later on people started eradicating these horses because it was believed the horses were harmful to agriculture. Due to such pressure tarpans became fully extinct in the country 400 years ago.