Tibetan Wild Ass and Indian Wild Ass

The Kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass is the largest of the all African and Asiatic wild asses.

Distribution

Kiang is found in China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Outside China, most of the kiang populations are found in Ladakh and Sikkim, India. Its coat is reddish in summer to dark brown in winter with almost white under parts.

Key Features

Kiang is considered closer to a horse than ass due to its short ears, large tail tuft and broad hooves. Like all wild asses, Kiangs have short upright mane and a dark stripe along the back extending from nape to tail. The habitat of the Kiang extends from Tibet, some regions in China to east Ladakh and north Sikkim in India. Kiang is an agile animal and can run long distances at a speed of more than SO kms per hour. Kiangs live in herds and feed upon sparsely growing sturdy grasses.

Threats

It is a species of ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN red list of threatened animals. The animal was also harvested for meat in India in the past, but presently no one consumes it. Many pastoralists claim that the population of kiang has exploded as a result of reduced hunting in the last few decades.

Indian Wild Ass

The Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur), also called Ghor Khar or Ghud Khur is found predominantly in the Little Rann of Kutch and its surrounding areas in Gujarat. It is also found in southern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and south-eastern Iran. Saline deserts (Rann), arid grasslands and shrub lands are its preferred environment.

Key Features

It is one of the fastest Indian animals. The coat of the animal is usually sandy and may vary from reddish grey, fawn, to pale chestnut. It possesses an erect, dark mane which runs from the back of the head and along the neck followed by a dark brown stripes running along the back, to the root of the tail. It feeds on grass, leaves and fruits of plant, crop and saline vegetation.

• Wild asses graze between dawn and dusk. The animal feeds on grass, leaves and fruits of plant, crop, Prosopis pods, and saline vegetation.
• They live either solitarily, or in small groups of twos and threes while family herds remain large.

Threats and Conservation Status

In August 2015, the IUCN Red List has moved the Indian wild ass from the ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ category, indicating the need for heightened protection measures.

Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary located in the Little Rann of Kutch is the largest wildlife sanctuary in India.

A few years back, the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation (GEER) report had recommended that the Thar desert in Rajasthan should be developed as an alternative site for re-establishing the Indian wild ass by reintroduction a few of them.