APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — An endangered wild Asian horse foal is thriving thanks to an unlikely hero. Marat, a Przewalski’s horse, fell critically ill soon after his birth at the Minnesota Zoo nearly two months ago. He survived thanks to intensive care. But his mother rejected him when he returned.

Marat, a Przewalski's horse foal at the Minnesota Zoo, fell critically ill shortly after his birth and was rejected by his mom. He found a 'foster mom' in Alice, a domestic Pony of the Americas at the zoo.

After an illness led to a stretch of separation that in turn caused his mother to reject him, a rare Asian wild horse is said to be thriving again at the Minnesota Zoo thanks to a new foster mother.