THETibetanwildass(Equuskiang)iswidespreadintheQinghai-TibetPlateau.ItisplacedintheLC(leastconcern)categoryintheIUCN(InternationalUnionforConservationofNature)RedListofThreatenedSpeciesandlistedinAppendixIofCITES(ConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangeredSpeciesofWildFaunaandFlora,alsoknownastheWashingtonConvention).In1988,theTibetanwildasswaslistedbytheChinesegovernmentinthefirstgroupofwildlifeunderfirstclassprotectionatnationallevel.
TraitsandDistribution
TheTibetanwildassisalargemammaloftheequidae(horse)familyandalsothelargestonager.ItlookssimilartoEquushemionuswithashorthead,longearsthatareabletorotate,andanobtusely-roundedblacksnout.Localpeoplealsorefertoitas鈥渨ildhorse,鈥漛ecauseithasabodyandhooveslargerthanthoseofdomesticdonkeys.Ithasanaverageheightatthewithersof140cm,abodylengthofmorethan200cmandaweightof300to400kilograms.Itsbodyiscoveredwithreddishbrownhair.Itsuppersnout,underneck,breast,belly,andfourlimbsarecoveredwithwhitehair,andthetipoftheears,dorsalspinelinedwithdarkhair.
TheTibetanwildassisagoodrunnerandhighlyalert.Ithasanacutesenseofhearing,smell,andsight,whichenablesittobeawareofitssurroundingsforhundredsofmeters.IfaTibetanwildassfindsanycreatureisapproachingoranenemyistryingtoattack,itwillfirstraiseitsheadtolookaround,staringatthethreatforawhile,andthen,dashaway.SincethehighwaywasbuiltintheQinghaiTibetPlateau,theTibetanwildasshasdevelopedanewhabitofracingalongsidecars.Itcanrunfortensofminutesfollowingthecarataspeedof60kilometersperhour,40to50kilometersinonebreath.Whenitcatchesupwiththecar,itwillkeeprunninguntilsurpassingthecarandleavingitbehindatadistance,thentheanimalstopstowatchandstartstorunagain.However,itisthishabitthateasilymakesthemtargetsforpoachers.
TheTibetanwildassmostlylivesinalpinedesertsof4,000to7,000metersabovesealevelintheQinghai-TibetPlateau,anditlovescogongrass,sedge,andwormwood.ItshabitatscanbefoundinQinghai,Gansu,Xinjiang,TibetandSichuan.Togetfoodandwater,theymigrateovershortdistanceswiththechangeofseasons.Insummer,theyliveinhighmountainsofover5,000metersabovesealevel,andinwinter,theymovetolower-altitudeplaces.
HabitsandReproduction
Tibetanwildassisgenerallyagregariousanimal,usuallylivingingroupsoffivetoeightor20to30members.Amaledonkeyleadsthegroupwanderingaroundtheplaceswherethereisenoughfoodandwaterbutlesshumaninterference.IntheAltunMountainNatureReserveinXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion,thereareusually100to200membersinaTibetanwildassgroup,whileinHa鈥檈rtengBasininthenorthernQaidamBasin,itiscommontofindtheTibetanwildasslivealone.
WhenTibetanwildassesarenotdisturbed,theyliketowalkinasinglefilealongafixedroute,leavinga鈥渄onkeypath鈥漷hatispeculiartothemaroundthegrasslandandwatersources.TheTibetanwildassisextremelytolerantofdroughtandcanlivewithoutwaterforseveraldays.Theyarethebestscavengersforseekingoutwater.Duringdrought,theywilldigawellintheplaceswithahighwatertablebytheriver.Theydigahugepuddlearound50cmdeep,whichiscalled鈥渄onkeywell鈥漛ylocalherdsmen.ThesepuddlesofferwatertonotjusttheTibetanwildass,butalsootherlocalwildanimalsliketheTibetanantelope.
ThematingandbreedingseasonoftheTibetanwildassvarieswiththeclimateoftheirhabitats,andstartsfromJulytoSeptember.Duringthematingandbreedingseason,themalesgetirritableandfrequentlyhiss.ThemaleTibetanwildassescompetewitheachotherforthematingright.Thewinningmalegovernsthewholegroup,andkicksandbitesthedissenters.
InJulyofthefollowingyear,thefemaleTibetanwildassgivesbirthtoasinglefoal.Theadultwillprotectandtakegoodcareofthefoal.Whenafoalfailstoclimbuptothebank,twoadultscarryitontheshoulderandpushittothebank.Thefoalgrowsveryfast.Theyweighupto35to40kgatbirth,andgetsexuallymatureatthree.TheTibetanwildassusuallylivesfor20years.
Tibetanwildasshasanextraordinaryvitality.Theyspendmostofthetimeinthealpinedesertwheretherearefewnaturalenemies.However,whentheymovetothelakeareasofloweraltitudesforabundantwaterandgrassinthebreedingseason,theirnaturalenemies(mainlythewolf,snowleopard,andEurasianlynx)arewaitingthereforthem.Itisatthattimethattheelderly,theweak,andthestraygetkilled.
DomesticationandProtection
Tibetanwildassischaracterizedbystamina,beingsmart,tolerantofcrudefeed,andhard-working,andtheirsteadylope.Theycanwithstandviolentstormsandareusedforcarryingloadsandpassengers,turningmillstones,ploughing,sowing,andsoon.Asearlyas3,000BC,theTibetanwildasshadbeendomesticatedandemployedbyhumans,earlierthandomesticatedhorses.
However,theTibetanwildasshasneverbeendomesticatedentirely.Togivefullplaytotheiradvantages,peoplecrossbreedthemwithotherlivestocktocreatenewbreeds.Forexample,thebay-and-white鈥渄appledhorse鈥漣sacrossbreedoftheTibetanwildassanddomestichorse.Thishorseischaracterizedbylargebodyandgreatstrength,andthelocalsuseitascarrierorrideonit.
Inthe1980s,foodshortagecausedbyovergrazingandfrequentpoachingthreatenedthesurvivaloftheTibetanwildass.Toprotectthespecies,theChinesegovernmenthastakentimelymeasuressuchasputtingitunderfirstclassprotectionatnationallevel,issuingstrictbansonhuntinginallforms,andestablishingreservestorestrictovergrazing.Duetothoseprotectivemeasures,theTibetanwildasspopulationhassteadilyincreased.
Researchersestimatedtherewereabout56,000Tibetanwildassesin1989andapproximately80,000in1998.AccordingtostatisticsoftheWorldWidelifeFund(WWF),therearelargeTibetanwildasspopulationsinnorthernChabugTownshipofGerzeCountyandnorthwesternNyimaCountyinNgariPrefectureofTibet,andthenumberofTibetanwildassesinsomegroupsreachesover500.Currently,therearenearly60,000TibetanwildassesinChangTangNationalNatureReserveinNgariPrefecture.
Therefore,researchersbelievethatthenumberofTibetanwildasshassurpassed100,000,andwildlifeconservationistsarediscussingwhethertheTibetanwildassshouldstillbekeptonthelistofwildlifeunderfirstclassprotectionatnationallevel.However,itisagreedbyallthatweshouldsetupthehabitatsoftheTibetanwildassasnationalnaturereservesandcontinuetoprotectthewholeecosysteminwhichtheylive.
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