Asian wild ass Onager

wild Asian ass

Asiatic wild ass
equus hemionus
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endangered IUCN Red list
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survives in:
-southern Mongolia
-adjacent northern China
isolated populations in:
-the Rann of Kutch (India)
-Badkhyz Preserve (Turkmenistan)
-Touran National Park & Bahramgor Reserve (Iran)
populations re-established in:
-Barsa-Khelmes Island in the Aral Sea (Kazakhstan)
-Aktay-Buzachinskiy reserve on the eastern shore
of the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan)
-Andasayskiy reserve and Kapchagayskoye in
southeastern Kazakhstan
-Dzheiran Ecocentre near Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
-Meana-Chaacha, Kaakha, Kopet Dag, and Sumbar
Valley in southern Turkmenistan (re-introduced
populations in Kurtusu and Germab perhaps no
longer survive)
-Sarakamish Lake in northern Turkmenistan
-the Beruchi Peninsula (Ukraine), the Negev
(southern Israel)
-Taf (Saudi Arabia)
mountain steppes, steppes, semi-deserts and desert
plains
usually found in desert steppes
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large grazing animal
Onagers are a little larger than donkeys at about
290 kilograms (640 lb) and 2.1 metres (6.9 ft)
(head-body length), and are a little more horse-like.
They are short-legged compared to horses, and
their coloring varies depending on the season. They
are generally reddish-brown in color during the
summer, becoming yellowish-brown in the winter

months. They have a black stripe bordered in white

that extends down the middle of the back.
primary consumers:
-Stipa glareosa
-Agropyron cristatum
-Achnatherum
-Artemisia
-grasses
-Anabasis
-Russian thistle
-saxaul
-pea shrubs

-females first produce young at five years

-one live foal every three years
-only half of the stallions reproduce
human:
-settlement
-cultivation
-overgrazing
-development activities
-conflict (crop depredation)
-competition for water
-salt extraction
-poaching for meat
-competition with domestic livestock
-war+civil unrest
-illegal hunting

-hunted for meat and skin (not fur?)

-notoriously untamable
legally protected in:
-Mongolia
-Turkmenistan
-Iran
-India
classified & protected as RARE
reintroduced into a number of acceptable regions
-artificial water points
-natural springs
-enhance enforcement of existing protective
legislature, including strict control at border posts
between Mongolia and China for illegal export of
carcasses
-control meat markets, to prevent illegal trade in

carcasses within Mongolia

-map critical habitat and movement corridors
-consider migration routes when planning
transportation routes and fences, including
implementation of mitigation measures along
fenced transportation routes (e.g., railway
Ulaanbaatar-Beijing)
-raise public awareness and establish education
programmes to highlight the international
importance and socioeconomic benefits of
Mongolian populations (e.g., teach herders that
they benefit from Asiatic Wild Ass digging
waterholes in dry riverbeds)
-livelihood aid for local people, e.g., alternative
income strategies
+conflict between local pastoralists and
agricultural groups needs to be addressed
-conduct further research on population numbers,
habitat use and migration,
+clarification of subspecific taxonomy of
Mongolian populations of Asiatic Wild Ass
+annual population monitoring
//preferably aerial surveys
-stronger co-operation between Mongolia and
China to facilitate conservation efforts (e.g.
formation of trans-border protected areas)

six degrees of separation:

-ass travels to natural spring
-photographer takes photo
-has photo framed in shop
-hangs up in his home
-sells me a camera
-become friends over expedition story

Moehlman, P.D., Shah, N. & Feh, C.

2008. Equus hemionus. The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species.
Version 2014.2.
<www.iucnredlist.org>