Kiang
The Kiang is a species closely related to the donkey. It is found on the Tibetan Plateau in Ladakh, northern Pakistan, Tajikistan, China and northern Nepal. It lives in montane grasslands and shrublands. Other common names for this species include Tibetan wild ass, khyang and gorkhar.
It is closely related to the Onager, and indeed, some classifications list the Kiang as a subspecies of the Onager (though most agree that it is too genetically diverse for them to be classed as the same species.
Three subspecies of kiangs are currently recognised:
- E. k. kiang — western kiang (Tibet, Ladakh, southwestern Xinjiang)
- E. k. holdereri — eastern kiang (Qinghai, southeastern Xinjiang)
- E. k. polyodon — southern kiang (southern Tibet, Nepalese border)
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The current population is estimated at 60,000-70,000, with around 90% living in China. Unfortunately, there are many threats across its range, and as such heavy pressure in different areas. There also do not appear to be readily available estimates for the population of each subspecies.
They have few natural predators, as incredibly aggressive animals against predators. As such, the only regular predator is the wolf. Unfortunately as many other species, humans have started hunting them in large numbers and as such their population is lower than it might have been naturally.
