Tarpan: Repainting an Ancient Picture

In 1879, Europe’s last wild horse ran off a cliff attempting to avoid capture. The loss of the last Tarpan has led to centuries long efforts to revive the extinct horse.

This is the story of mankind’s attempt to bring back a horse from the dead. Tarpan had roamed in wild herds across Europe for millennia, running through the dreams of our ancient ancestors. The film illuminates the dark past of the hunting lodges of Europe, miraculous scientific coincidence and the chilling efforts of the genetic breeders of the past. World Wars and doomed attempts to re-engineer the horse left a hopeless situation. Finally the careful work of an international group including the Polish State Studs, the work of biologists in the Netherlands and the tireless efforts of a dedicated group in Bulgaria brought a small herd of modern Tarpan to the remote mountains of Eastern Europe. Here the horse faces a whole new challenge, struggling to become wild once again and their ability to adapt to a thriving wolf population. As they bravely learn to find a way back to their ancient selves, heir future still hangs in a delicate balance.