Two horses have been transported 3,000 miles (5,000km) to help secure the future of a species that was once considered to be extinct in the wild.

Shara and Togs, two female Przewalski’s horses, were born and raised at Marwell Zoo near Winchester, Hampshire.

They were flown to be released in Kazakhstan, to help continue a species revival led by European zoos.

Once found across central Asia, the species was last seen in the wild in the 1960s and was reduced to a dozen or so breeding individuals in captivity.

It remains endangered, with 178 mature horses in 2014, according to the most recent assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Ian Goodwin, Marwell Zoo’s animal operations manager, said: “We are proud to have played our part in bringing these incredibly special horses back to the wild.

“They were one of the very first species at the zoo when it opened in 1972, so we have been working with them for more than 50 years.”