Equidae: Zebras, Wild Asses & Horses

[TheHyenid76]

Information & scientific literature about the Kiang/Tibetan wild ass


Mammalian Species account. Equus kiang (Perissodactyla: Equidae) LINK

Abstract: Equus kiang Moorcroft, 1841, is an equid commonly called the kiang or Tibetan wild ass and is the only equid living on the Tibetan Plateau. It is the largest of the wild asses, with a distinct dark-brown coat on the back, and 1 of the 7 species of Equus. It is endemic to the high-elevation rangelands of China (Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu), India (Ladakh and Sikkim), Pakistan (Khunjerab National Park), and Nepal (Mustang). It inhabits open steppes and rolling hills sparsely vegetated with grasses and sedges. E. kiang is vulnerable to illegal poaching and competition with domestic livestock, and data
are insufficient to accurately estimate its total abundance.

Selected information about their biology & conservation:

Current population assessments commonly recognize these 3 subspecies (Shah 2002). However, different opinions on their validity exist in the literature. Wang (2002) only recognized E. k. kiang and E. k. holdereri; Schaller (1998) questioned subspecific status because the distribution of E. kiang is continuous across its range and morphological differences are small, which suggests a cline rather than 3 subspecies. Little genetic information exists for extant populations of E. kiang (Schaller 1998).

Infanticide occurs in captive E. kiang (Berger 1986). In the wild, a male attempting to mate with a female also inflicted severe injuries to her newborn foal (B. HumbertDroz, pers. comm.). Infanticide has often been observed in other equid species (Cameron et al. 2003; Duncan 1982; Linklater et al. 1999). Induced abortion has been observed in wild horses (Berger 1983), but whether it occurs in E. kiang is unknown.

Adult E. kiang have been reported to live up to 20 years in the wild, based on comparative tooth wear with zebras (Schaller 1998). Young of the year comprised 11% of the individuals censused in Chang Tang Nature Reserve in 1985– 1993, and survival of offspring seemed low in some years (Schaller 1998). Mortality rates are poorly known. Illegal hunting may be an important cause of mortality because nomadic communities often hunt for subsistence (Huber 2005; Schaller 1998). Blizzards also may cause mortality in some occasions due to starvation (Schaller 1998).

Among potential predators, Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) and snow leopard (Uncia uncia) may occasionally prey on young and old individuals, but overall predation is unlikely to be an important limiting factor in populations of E. kiang (J. Van Gruisen, pers. comm.; Schaller 1998). Remains of E. kiang were absent in scats of C. lupus (n = 384), U. uncia (n = 193), and Ursus arctos (Tibetan brown bear—n = 48) from Qinghai and Tibet (Schaller 1998). Observations from Mongolia report E. hemionus in scats of C. lupus (Feh et al. 2001).

Long-term conservation of E. kiang lies mainly in the resolution of potential conflicts with domestic livestock, minimizing habitat degradation from pastoralists and human development (e.g., fences, road, and mining), and control of poaching. Because conflicts mostly occur at local scales, solutions also must be implemented at that scale. For example, different management and conservation strategies could be considered inside and outside wildlife reserves. Pilot projects could be initiated in specific places to reduce the number and impact of E. kiang, but these changes would 1st need to be accompanied with policy changes and ecological studies (Harris 2008; G. B. Schaller, pers. comm.). Data are needed on the dynamics of populations of E. kiang and resource use to identify at which scale and to what extent competition with livestock occurs, during which season, and for what resource components. Moreover, genetic analyses are needed to ascertain the status of the 3 named subspecies of E. kiang. If recognized as such, E. k. polyodon may require specific conservation measures because of its low abundance and restricted distribution (Neumann-Denzau and Denzau 2003).

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From an article of Conservation India, Southern Kiang , North Sikkim. LINK

The kiang population in Sikkim was recently thought to be extinct (Duncan 1992). However, two surveys conducted in 1994 and 1995 in north Sikkim confirmed their continued existence in a 200 sq km area close to the Indo-Tibetan border, at an altitude between 5,100 m and 5,400 m (Shah 1994, 1997). The largest herd of kiang (n=48; foals were seen, but not counted) was observed across the border, west of Bamcho La (Shah 1994). In 1994, the Sikkim Kiang population was estimated at 74–120 individuals (Shah 1994). This area has no protected status as it comes under army jurisdiction (Shah 1994, 1997).

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