Mongolian Wild Ass

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The Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemionus, also called Khulan) is a subspecies of the Onager. It may be synonymous with the Gobi Kulan or Dziggetai suspecies (Equus hemionus luteus).[IUCN Red List] Equus hemionus ssp. hemionus It is found in Mongolia and northern China, and was previous found in Kazakhstan before it became extinct due to hunting.Clark, B. and Duncan, P. 1992. Asian Wild Asses - Hemiones and Kiangs (E. hemionus Pallas and E. kiang Moorcroft). In: P. Duncan (ed.) Zebras, Asses, and Horses. An Action Plan for the Conservation of Wild Equids. IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. pp. 17-21.

The Mongolian Wild Ass's distribution range was dramatically reduced during the 1990s. A 1994-1997 survey estimated its population size at 33,000 to 63,000 individuals over a continuous distribution range encompassing all of southern Mongolia.[Reading, R. P., H. M. Mix, B. Lhagvasuren, C. Feh, D. P. Kane, S. Dulamtseren, and S. Enkhbold. 2001. Status and distribution of khulan (Equus hemionus) in Mongolia. Journal of Zoology, London, 254:381-389]. In 2003, a new survey found approximately 20,000 individuals over an area of 177,563 km² in southern Mongolia.Mongolian Ministry of Nature and Environment. 2003. Status and distribution of the khulan in Mongolia in 2003. Unpublished report, Mongolian Ministry of Nature and Environment, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia The population estimates of the Mongolia population should be treated with caution due to a lack of proven survey protocols.Buckland, S.T., D.R. Anderson, K.P. Burnham, J.L. Laake, D.L. Borchers and L. Thomas. 2001. Introduction to Distance Sampling. 432pp. Oxford University Press, Oxford UK and New York USA.Kaczensky P. and C. Walzer. 2002a, 2002b, 2003a, 2003b. Przewalski horses, wolves and khulans in Mongolia. Bi-annual progress reports. available from: www.takhi.org Despite that, the subspecies lost about 50% of its former distribution range in Mongolia in the past 70 years.

The population is declining due to poaching and competition from grazing livestock and the conservation status of the species is evaluated as vulnerable. Since 1953, the Mongolian Wild Ass has been fully protected in Mongolia. The subspecies is also listed at appendix I of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and was added to appendix II of the Convention of Migratory Species in 2002.[CMS 2002. Convention on Migratory Species. Appendix II.] However, due to human population growth in conjunction with severe winters in the past years United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT): National Civil Defence and State Emergency Commission Ulaanbaatar. 2000. DZUD 2000-Mongolia: An evolving ecological, social and economic disaster: A rapid needs assessment report. United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT): National Civil Defence and State Emergency Commission Ulaanbaatar, the number of conflicts between herders and Mongolian Wild Ass's appear on the increase.

Poaching for meat appears to be an increasing problem in Mongolia. For some parts of the local population, wild ass and other wildlife meat seems to provide a substitute or even a cheap alternative to meat from domestic animals.P. Kaczensky & O. Gambatar unpubl. Data In 2005, a national survey based on questionnaires, suggested that as many as 4,500 wild asses, about 20% of the whole population, may be poached each year.J. Wingard unpubl. data Moreover, political changes in the early 1990's forced urban populations to return to nomadic land use, resulting in a sharp increase in human- and livestock numbers in many rural areas.Fernandez-Gimenez, M. E. 1999. Sustaining the Steppes: A Geographical History of Pastoral Land Use in Mongolia. Geographical Revue, 89(3):315-342.Bedunah, D. J. and S. M. Schmidt. 2004. Pastoralism and protected area management in Mongolia's Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. Development and Change, 35(1):167-191.Mearns, R., D. Shombodon, G. Narangerel, U. Tuul, A. Enkhamgalan, B. Myagmarzhav, A. Bayanjargal, and B. Bekhsuren. 1994. Natural resource mapping and seasonal variations and stresses in Mongolia. RRA Notes, 20:95-105.

Political and socital changes have disrupted traditional land use patterns, weakened law enforcement and also changed attitudes towards the use of natural resources, e.g. making wildlife an “open access” resource.Pratt, D. G., D. C. MacMillan, and I. J. Gordon. 2004. Local community attitudes to wildlife utilisation in the changing economic and social context of Mongolia. Biodiversity and Conservation, 13:591–613. It is expected that the remigration of people and their livestock will result in increased wildlife-human interactions and may well threaten the survival of rare wildlife species in the Gobi Desert.

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