For the first time in more than 10,000 years, wild horses once again roam Spain’s northwestern highlands. The 35 horses introduced by Rewilding Spain are bringing renewed resilience to the land, Mongabay senior editor Jeremy Hance reported.

In 2023, an initial 16 Przewalski’s horses (Equus ferus przewalskii), the world’s last fully wild horse, were introduced to the municipality of Villanueva de Alcorón in Guadalajara, a sparsely populated province two hours from Madrid, Spain’s capital city.

“They are special,” Manuel Villa, a herd manager with Rewilding Spain, told Hance. “For me, every day I go to work is like the first: the same excitement … I always say, ‘God, they are beautiful.’”

Horses are a key element for rewilding the Iberian highlands, which today are mostly made up of land left degraded by abandoned crops and pastures. Through grazing, the horses are helping to restore ecosystem health and prevent wildfires.

“You need the horses to shorten the grass,” said Pablo Schapira, team leader with Rewilding Spain. Overgrown long grass can be a dangerous fire hazard, especially during droughts, as it allows fire to spread quickly across large expanses.