Down To Earth speaks to Tsewang Namgail from the Snow Leopard Conservancy about the rare and iconic Tibetan wild ass
A kiang. Photo: iStock
Donkeys have been humanity’s companions ever since they were domesticated thousands of years ago. Most human societies have a negative image of the domesticated donkey. But its wild counterparts like the African wild ass (Equus africanus), Onager (Asiatic wild ass) and Kiang (Tibetan wild ass) are still perceived positively for their majesty, beauty and grace.
India is home to the ghudkhar or the Indian Wild Ass found in the Little Rann of Kutch and the kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass found along the country’s Himalayan frontier.
Kiang are found in the high meadows and open plains of Ladakh. But it still remains a mysterious creature for most Indians.
This World Donkey Day, Down To Earth spoke to Tsewang Namgail from the Snow Leopard Conservancy about the species — its role in Ladakhi life and the threats it faces. Edited excerpts:
Rajat Ghai (RG): What role does the Kiang play in Ladakhi culture?
Tsewang Namgail (TN): Equids (horses, donkeys and zebras) were domesticated by humans thousands of years ago. In Asia, they have played an important role in the continent’s history. Who can forget the role of the horse in helping establish the largest contiguous land empire the world has ever seen — that of Genghis Khan and his conquering Mongol hordes?
The kiang — a wild relative of the domestic donkey — is distributed across the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas — from Ladakh to Bhutan.
Like its cousins, the kiang too needs open spaces like the steppe to gallop and escape from predators. For instance, in Sikkim, the kiang is usually found in higher and flatter areas such as Tso Lhamo.
The kiang does not usually feature in Ladakhi folklore and folktales, unlike the black-necked crane (embodiment of the Sixth Dalai Lama of Tibet).
From what I know, inhabitants of the Changthang Valley, where kiang occur, used to eat their flesh at one time. But they do not do so now.
Back in 2003-04, when I was working in the Hanle Valley of Ladakh, I was told that many kiang found there now, have come from Chinese-controlled Tibet. Kiang are still hunted and eaten there and this must have forced the animals to seek sanctuary here. That is, at least, one of the hypotheses put forward.
RG: What are the current threats facing the kiang and how is it linked to the Ladakhi struggle for statehood?
TN: The kiang is one of the larger herbivores of Ladakh. It is also one of the most despised. Pastoralists used to tell us that the kiang could eat day and night, without a break, and damage pastures.
That is because the kiang are hindgut fermenters. This means that their digestive system is not as good as that of bovines like cattle or yak. They do eat more than bovines but not 24X7 as the locals used to tell us. That was a bit over the top.
There are anecdotal as well as scientific reports of cattle eating kiang’s dung, which has high fibre content, especially during winter with limited vegetation.
The tension between herders and kiang in Ladakh is real. We know of people fencing off plots of land to make paddocks where they grow grasses for their animals and exclude these animals.
Herders also chase away kiang on horseback so that they keep out of the main meadows where domestic livestock like sheep, goats, cattle and yak graze.
Tourism, or rather an excess dose of it, is another major threat, not just to kiang but a host of other Ladakhi wildlife.
There are reports of tourists going off-road in their SUVs to chase these animals as they run with a characteristic gait with their heads turned to one side. Many people find it amusing and give chase to kiangs.
Another fallout of such behaviour by tourists is that the top soil, which is low in organic content and moisture, is damaged by their vehicles as they chase kiang. Rangelands and pasturelands are destroyed within seconds.
The Hanle Valley is where all this plays out. The Valley has a dark sky reserve, the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary and the world’s highest motorable road, the Umling La. Since there is no proper system of regulating tourists, many tourists go off-road not only disturbing kiangs but several other species such as the Tibetan gazelle, which is confined to this Valley.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the free-ranging dog. A lot of military camps are mushrooming in Ladakh due to border tensions with the Chinese. There are also tourist camps from where these dogs get leftover food.
Many camps close in the autumn due to which the dogs then turn on local wildlife like kiang to satisfy their hunger. They are known to harass herds and particularly attack foals. But a pack can even bring down a full-grown stallion.
There is a great demand for pashmina, the under-wool of the Changthangi goats. The kiang get into the crosshairs of pashmina herders since they compete for the same forage as the goats.
Kiang habitat is also at risk from unplanned developmental activities carried out without proper environmental impact assessments.
Lastly, climate change is the mother of all challenges. Global warming is melting Ladakh’s glaciers, affecting pasture qualities.
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