{"id":172,"date":"2014-01-21T04:03:35","date_gmt":"2014-01-21T04:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tibetnature.lhasocialwork.com\/en\/?p=172"},"modified":"2014-02-21T04:13:57","modified_gmt":"2014-02-21T04:13:57","slug":"tibetan-wild-ass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/tibetan-wild-ass\/","title":{"rendered":"TIBETAN WILD ASS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Equus kiang<\/em><\/p>\n

Physical Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Tibetan Wild Ass, or Kiang, was until recently considered to be a subspecies of Equus hemionus, the Kulan or Asiatic Wild Ass. Though the\u00a0Kiang is very similar to the Kulan, it is now recognized as a distinct species, Equus kiang. The Kiang has a reddish brown coat that darkens in\u00a0color during the winter months. The Kiang\u2019s legs, undersides, the insides of the ears, and the border around the Kiang\u2019s grey muzzle are white.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo: Jan reurink<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Kiang\u2019s short mane, long, tufted tail, and the tips of the Kiang\u2019s short ears are dark brown. The Kiang also has a dark dorsal stripe, which\u00a0<\/span>extends from its mane to its tail. The Kiang\u2019s summer coat is short, sparse, and sleek in comparison to its longer, thicker winter coat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kiang is the largest of the wild asses. The Kiang actually resembles a horse more than it does an ass, due to its small ears and long tail. The\u00a0<\/span>Kiang has a body length of approximately 210 centimetres (seven feet), a tail length of 50 centimetres (50 inches), and a shoulder height of 140\u00a0<\/span>centimetres (4.6 feet).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kiang weighs about 250 to 400 kilograms (550 to 880 pounds). During August and September, the only months\u00a0<\/span>when the Kiang\u2019s food sources are abundant, the Kiang may gain up to 45 kilograms (88 to 100 pounds) in weight.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Habitat<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kiang inhabits plains, hills, basins, broad valleys, and other types of open terrain, at elevations from 2,700 to 5,300 metres (8,900 to\u00a017,400 feet). The Kiang is most abundant in alpine meadows and alpine steppes, but also occurs in more arid habitats. The Kiang is only found\u00a0on the Tibetan Plateau and the area just west of the Plateau. The Kiang\u2019s habitat range includes Tibet and bordering areas of China, Pakistan,\u00a0and India, including Ladakh and Sikkim. The Kiang\u2019s population has become increasingly fragmented. Today, the Kiang is most densely\u00a0distributed in protected areas and areas under army jurisdiction, including the Arjin Shan, Kalamaili Mountain, Chang Tang, and Chomo\u00a0Langma (Qomolangma) Nature Reserves.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eating Habits<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kiang\u2019s diet consists of grasses (Stipa spp.), sedges, and other low plants.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Behaviour and Reproduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kiang is a strong swimmer and takes apparent pleasure in bathing in rivers during the summer months. The Kiang lives alone or in small\u00a0herds. Herds are smallest in the summer and largest in the winter. Mares, accompanied by their foals or yearlings, tend to form herds with other\u00a0mares that are in the same stage of reproduction. Stallions are more likely than mares to be solitary, especially during the rut season. During the\u00a0rut, some stallions seem to be territorial, and others group mares into harems. Herds and solitary kiangs may congregate on good pastures during\u00a0the fall and winter. Congregations of as many as a 1,000 kiangs have been spotted, but congregations of 100 to 300 kiangs are more common.<\/p>\n

The Kiang probably reaches sexual maturity at about two to three years of age. Breeding and births take place in the summer months, from July\u00a0to September, when the most forage is available. The Kiang\u2019s gestation period is about 355 days, close to one year. Each mother gives birth to\u00a0one foal, which may weigh about 30 kilograms (66 pounds) and stand about 90 centimetres (3 feet) tall at the shoulder. Foals are weaned\u00a0within a year after birth and reach adult size soon after.<\/p>\n

The Kiang may live for as long as 20 years, but most Kiang live to between 7 and 11 years of age. Young kiangs are susceptible to harsh weather\u00a0conditions and many die during their first or second winter. Wolves are the Kiang\u2019s main natural predators. Kiangs, especially the stallions, are\u00a0quite curious animals, often watching the humans they encounter rather than fleeing from them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Present Status<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kiang is categorized as Lower Risk: Least Concern in the 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is listed under Appendix II of\u00a0CITES. The Kiang is under first class protection in China and is included in Schedule I, Part I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972.<\/p>\n

In the last few decades, the Kiang\u2019s population has decreased significantly in size and has become fragmented.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Threats to Survival<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much of the northern part of the Kiang\u2019s habitat has been degraded or lost entirely due to the establishment of significant mining and oil\u00a0exploration operations in this region, and the incursion of the large populations needed to cater to the mines and the processing of minerals.<\/p>\n

Pastoralists and their livestock have encroached upon other areas of the Kiang\u2019s habitat. These livestock compete with the Kiang for water and\u00a0forage and may carry diseases. Furthermore, because more and more pastoralists are \u201csedentary\u201d, rather than nomadic, overgrazing is becoming\u00a0a problem, and wild animals, such as the Kiang, are being fenced out of their traditional foraging areas. Intensifying the Kiang\u2019s troubles,\u00a0<\/span>pastoralists, miners, oil workers, and others hunt the Kiang for food. New and improved roads provide easier access to previously isolated areas\u00a0of the Kiang\u2019s habitat range. The increased military presence on the border between Ladakh and Tibet that bisects the Chang Tang may also\u00a0pose a threat to the Kiang.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huffman, Brent, Kiang, Tibetan wild ass, http:\/\/www.ultimateungulate.com\/Perissodactyla\/Equus_kiang.html, Sept 2004.<\/p>\n

Schaller, George B., 1998: Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe, The University of Chicago Press, London.<\/p>\n

Shah, Nita, Status and Action Plan for the Kiang (Equus kiang), http:\/\/www.iucn.org\/themes\/ssc\/actionplans\/equids\/part2chapter6.pdf, Sept<\/p>\n

2004.<\/p>\n

Wang, H., 2002: Equus kiang, Animal Diversity Web, http:\/\/animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu\/site\/accounts\/information\/<\/p>\n

Equus_kiang.html, Sept 2004.<\/p>\n

By: Environment and Development Desk, DIIR, CTA.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Equus kiang Physical Description The Tibetan Wild Ass, or Kiang, was until recently considered to be a subspecies of Equus hemionus, the Kulan or Asiatic Wild Ass. Though the\u00a0Kiang is very similar to the Kulan,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mammals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tibetnature.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}