Abstract

A description of the National Zoo’s Conservation & Research Center Przewalski’s horse facility is presented and illustrates a successful layout of pens, alleys, stalls, and a hydraulic restraint device (TAMER^®, Fauna Research, Inc., Red Hook, NY, USA). The facility provides good animal flow, safety for keepers and horses, and allows for low stress, repeat handling and the ability to perform a wide array of veterinary procedures. The importance of training and conditioning of the horses to the facility and the restraint equipment is emphasized. The hydraulic TAMER^® allows zoo personnel to handle the horses on a regular basis without the use of chemical immobilization, making it possible to conduct long-term reproductive studies that often require repeat handling for rectal palpations, ultrasound exams, hormone injections, and monitoring ovarian activity.