Wild horses wouldn't drag researcher away from his job

URUMQI－To some, they are nothing more than stocky and furry creatures, a rarely seen animal species.

To 48-year-old Zhang Yanbao, however, they are his dearest friends and the "protagonists" of his 33-year career. The star of Zhang's life story is the Przewalski's horse, a wild horse species in existence today.

"Like us, each horse has its own temperament and personality, as well as a specific role in the family," says Zhang, an engineer at the Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding and Research Center.