Experts work to ensure survival of ancient horse breed on brink of extinction: 'Without it, they're doomed to disappear'

Garrano ponies have grazed the mountainsides of northern Portugal for 20,000 years, helped build the Portuguese Empire, and were an agricultural necessity for centuries. Now, with less than 3,000 remaining, they may be on the verge of extinction.

What's happening?

Garrano ponies were domesticated roughly 16,000 years ago, as the Guardian detailed, but in the mid-20th century, their usefulness began to decline. Mechanized equipment began to replace them on farms, and cars replaced them as a form of transportation.

There were between 40,000 and 60,000 Garranos in the 1940s, but that number has dwindled to estimates between 1,500 and 3,000.

José Leite, a technical advisor for the Association of Garrano Horse Breeders (Acerg) and a vet, told the Guardian, "A horse needs a function. Without it, they're doomed to disappear. And that's what was happening here. The need for the horse as an agricultural tool ended, and so this intensive breeding stopped, too."

Why is this important?

Lack of breeding isn't the only threat to the Garrano. They're also at risk because of wildfires.

Like much of the world, Portugal experienced record heat waves in the summer of 2023, which led to wildfires. While those wildfires didn't pose a threat to the Garrano because the blazes were mostly in the southern part of the country, that wasn't the case in 2017.

The wildfires of 2017 killed over 100 people in Portugal and Spain and reached one of the stables owned by Michel Pereira, who has been breeding Garranos for more than 30 years. All of the ponies survived, but as the world continues to warm, which will only increase the threat of wildfires, there are no guarantees going forward.

What's being done about the Garrano population?

Garranos have found a new purpose, one that will help to ensure the breed's survival and protect humans at the same time.

Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), Portugal's largest electrical infrastructure company, signed an agreement with Acerg, which will provide 280 Garranos to graze and clear brush across nearly 10,000 acres of mountainside. This will remove fuel that could feed potential wildfires.

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