Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Quo Vadis Equus Hemionus Hemionus In Mongolia?, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, O. Shagdarsuren, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Inspired by studies on biodiversity in the South Gobi we were confronted with the human impact on animal communities and endangered animal species, especially the Asiatic wild ass. So the idea was born to organize an international conference with the aim to actualize the status of Equus hemionus in Central Asia and to find ways for better conservation of this species and its habitats. A short review is given on historical exploration, decreasing area and population number of the Dschiggetai. Today the range of the nominate form of Equus hemionus is located in the Gobi region of southern Mongolia/northern China …

Current Status Of The Khulan (Equus Hemionus) In The Trans-Altai Gobi, Enkhbileg Dulamtseren, Adiya Yadamjav, Dovchindorj Ganbold, Mijidorj Batmunkh

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Since 1975, 25 wildlife surveys have been conducted in the Trans-Altai Gobi. In this paper we summarize results from the last 11 surveys, conducted between October 2000 and April 2005, and discuss our findings together with results from previous surveys.

Comparative Demography And Dietary Resource Partitioning Of Two Wild Ranging Asiatic Equid Populations, Ellen Schulz, Thomas Kaiser, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Joachim Wussow

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Tooth wear signatures allow inference on the dietary traits of herbivorous ungulates. Comparing dietary regimes of taxonomically closely related populations further allows inference on habitat structure and food availability. The mesowear method of tooth wear evaluation has opened up a pathway to reconstruct subtle differences in dietary behavior and resource partitioning based on skeletal material as the only source of information. Eighty cheek dentitions of Asian wild asses (Equus hemionus) from the Southern Gobi (Mongolia) and 61 dentitions of African free ranging donkeys (Equus asinus) from the Emirate Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) were investigated for their …

Capture And Anaesthesia Of The Mongolian Wild Ass (E. Hemionus), Chris Walzer, Petra Kaczensky, Oogii Ganbaatar, Namtar Enkhsaikhan, Davaa Lkhagvasuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Science-based conservation efforts in general and wide-ranging equid conservation specifically, often require capture and subsequent handling of the subject animal. Safe and animal-welfare appropriate wild equid capture and anesthesia is a complex operation necessitating a multitude of skills that require appropriate veterinary training. In order to develop management plans for the Mongolian wild ass (Equus hemionus), which range over vast areas the use of radiotelemetry, is an essential tool. Radio-telemetry allows the researchers to better understand the habitat requirements and to delineate the areas of potential wildlife-human conflicts. To date we have successfully captured 16 wild ass in …

Mapping Khulan Habitats: A Gis-Based Approach, Henrik Von Wehrden, Karsten Wesche

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This paper focuses on the contribution that a combination of public domain GIS data with extensive habitat data can make to Khulan conservation in southern Mongolia. We describe a dataset taken in the Great Gobi 'A' Strictly Protected Area which represents the driest region within the overall Khulan distribution range. Potential habitats were classified following a phyto-sociological approach based on vegetation samples collected in the field. These data are combined with an open source climate model that allowed assessment of the influences of mean precipitation and temperature regime on habitat conditions. The results are put into a Gobi-wide context providing …

Sustainable Natural Resource Use And Livelihood Improvement In South Gobi Protected Areas, J. Jargal

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Many of the species in Gobi are in decline. People and livestock are dependent on scarce water supplies. Consequently, there is a strong competition between wild animals and livestock for water sources, grazing pastures and forage plants. This project assists conservation efforts by working with nomadic herding communities who have critical importance in the future of the Gobi desert ecosystem. Training nomadic herders in ecology, conservation and natural resource use is a unique approach to ecosystem management in Mongolia. Using this approach, the project aims to help herding families establish a sustainable use of natural resources, improve their livelihoods, and …

Morphology, Reproduction And Mortality Of Equus Hemionus Hemionus In Mongolia, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

There are collected materials on morphology, reproduction rate, and mortality of Dschiggetajs Equus h. hemionus between 2001 and 2006 in the South Gobi of Mongolia. It were found 794 skeletons of wild asses, 95% of these were pouched, ⅔ of them in winter coat. Pouching was also located in the protected areas of this region. The main living resources of Equus hemionus are registered in the South eastern Gobi. For the first time statistical data on morphology measurements of body length, tail and tuft, ear length, and hoofs are given. There are no significant differences between the sexes. The reproduction …

Emerging Near-Real Time Forage Monitoring Technology With Application To Large Herbivore Management In Mongolia, Dennis P. Sheehy, Jerry W. Stuth, Douglas E. Johnson, Jay Angerer, Douglas Tolleson

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Large herbivore livestock and wildlife in Mongolia depend almost entirely for substance on forage standing crop produced each year on natural pastureland. Consequently, both livestock and wildlife are continuously subject to environmental risk, especially drought and severe winter storms, while livestock are also subject to financial risk. As consumption-based livestock production changes to commercialized livestock production, steps taken by the livestock herder to avert both environmental and financial risk to livestock can increase environmental risk to large wild herbivores. A realistic and workable pastureland and risk management system will be critical for conservation of large herbivore habitat. New technologies are …

Social Organization And Determinants Of Spatial Distribution Of Khur (Equus Hemionus Khur), Nita Shah, Qamar Qureshi

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Khur (Equus hemionus khur) is an endangered species for the most part restricted in little Rann of Kutch (India) and surrounding areas. We investigated factors influencing spatial distribution and social organization of khur. The spatial distribution is largely influenced by distribution of food patches and water in this ecosystem. The inter group distances were smaller in resource rich areas in comparison to resource poor areas (p = 0.017). The group sizes are larger in areas having higher productivity (r = 0.85) and rainfall (r = 0.88). Four social units are observed in khur (a) Family …

Kiangs (Equus Kiang, Moorcroft 1841) In Sikkim, India, Natalia V. Paklina, Chris Van Orden

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Between the 5^th and 10^th of March 2001 we completed a 450 km route by car in Northern Sikkim. During the trip along the southern slopes of the Himalayas and Sikkim Plateau we didn’t see a single kiang. According to the local people and military personnel in Sikkim, kiangs are known only in the outer limits of the Sikkim Plateau, where wild animals have a possibility to migrate free over the Chinese-Indian border. In winter only small groups of kiang incidentally come to the Sikkim Plateau from South Tibet. But in May more of them come there and …

Some Information On The Ecology Of Khulan (Equus Hemionus Pallas, 1775) In The Western Part Of The South Gobi Province, Mongolia, D. Tsendjav, S. Purevsuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

This short study provides information on the density and distribution of khulans in September 2003 and speculates about factors that negatively influence the khulan population in the sums of Khurmen, Bayandalai, Noyon, Sevrei, and Gurvantes in the South Gobi province.

An Overview On The State Of Equus Hemionus In Whole China, Weikang Yang

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The wild ass in China is divided into two species: Gobi khulan (Equus hemionus) and kiang (Equus kiang). Maps and charts of the distribution and population sizes in China and Mongolia of each species are shown from the 1980s through the early 2000s.

Territorial Behaviour Of Kiang (Equus Kiang Moorcroft, 1841) In Ladakh (India), Natalia V. Paklina, Chris Van Orden

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The observations of kiang behavior were made in Navokar Valley northeast of Tso Kar Lake (Ladakh, India) between July 30 and November 22, 2001. In the breeding season (end of July until the end of August) adult kiang males kept not overlapping, protected territories (about 10 km²), and marked by single defecation and urination marks. There were adult females with and without offspring on the territories (up to 12 animals, including the male). The distance between male and females on the territories was usually hundred times bigger, then a distance between stallion and his harem in horses. Females …

Assessment Of Non-Metric Skull Characters And Age Determination In The Asiatic Wild Ass Equus Hemionus: A Methodological Approach, Hermann Ansorge, Annegret Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Michael Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The report presents the first information on the use of non-metric skull characters and age determination by tooth section for Asiatic wild asses. It was initiated by a collection of more than 400 skulls of the Asiatic wild ass from the Bordzongijn-Gobi 2002-2004. The methodological overview gives a first research prospect in Asiatic Wild Ass concerning the use of non-metric skull characters as a morphological tool for assessing genetic variability, determining epigenetic divergences and evaluating fluctuating asymmetry. The time course of tooth eruption and replacement in the Asiatic wild ass is described with regard to its use for age determination. …

Remarks On The Social System Of The Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Hemionus), Gertrud Neumann-Denzau, Helmut Denzau

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

So far the social system of Mongolian wild asses is non-uniformly interpreted. The authors describe their own observations from different parts of Mongolia and review data from available publications. The arguments support a territorial social system, which agrees with the social system of all other wild asses in Asia and Africa.

Population Assessment Of Khulan (Equus Hemionus) In Mongolia, Badamjav Lkhagvasuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The data presented here suggest that 18,411 (± 224) khulan inhabit southern Mongolia with a density of 1.4 individuals per 1,000 km² within the 157,525 km² territory of its actual distribution. The Dornogobi province contains the highest number of khulan with a mere 67%, while 20% are found in the Ömnögobi province, 12% are in Djungarian Gobi and only 1% in the Gobi-Altay and Bayankhongor provinces. According to the proportion of foals and yearlings within each aimag, the Dornogobi, Ömnögobi east and Khovd populations have an average reproduction rate.

Semi-Wild Population Of Kulans In The Bukhara Breeding Centre And Their Co-Habitation With Przewalski’S Horses, Karim Bahloul, Olga B. Pereladova, Natalia V. Soldatova, Ekaterina V. Sidorenko, Antoine J. Sempere

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski's horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski's horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans are under threat of disappearance. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for conservation and reintroduction of wild ungulate species. In 1977-1978, five kulans (two males and three females) from Barsa-Kelmes Island on the Aral lake were introduced to the reserve. The group increased to 25-30 animals in 1995-1998, when five Przewalski's horses from Moscow and St. Petersburg zoos were introduced to the same territory. We analyzed the home ranges, preferred habitats and social interactions …

Up-Date On The Behaviour And Status Of The Critically Endangered Onager, Equus Hemionus Onager, From Iran, Laurent Tatin, Bijan F. Darreh-Shoori, Christophe Tourenq, David Tatin, Bijan Azmayesh

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The onager, Equus hemionus onager, an Asiatic wild ass endemic to Iran, is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Its biology and conservation requirements are poorly documented. We report some observations made in 1997 and 2000 on the behavior and ecology of the two remaining populations, located in the Touran Protected Area and the Bahram-e-Goor Reserve. Recent population counts by the Department of Environment of Iran (471 in the Protected Area, and 96 in the Reserve) are markedly lower than the count of 600-770 made in the 1970s in the Touran Protected Area. We observed social …

Asiatic Wild Asses In The Literature: What Do We Need To Know Now?, Sarah R.B. King

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Asiatic wild asses were once found across central Asia, but over time their range has been reduced until today all subspecies are under threat. This paper examined the literature about wild asses with an aim to illustrating gaps in our knowledge as a target for future research.

A search was made on BIOSIS ISI for the following strings: Equus hemionus, wild ass, khulan, kulan, kiang, khur, and onager. In total 61 relevant references were found, published between 1900 and 2005. Most of these references were published in the 1990s, with only one published between 1900 and 1970. Khur and …

Kulan (Equus Hemionus Pallas 1775) In Turkmenistan, Victor S. Lukarevskiy, Yu. K. Gorelov

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) is the only odd-toed ungulate left in the wild in northern Eurasia. In the 1930s, the kulan survived in southern Turkmenistan only. In the 1940s, kulans were found only in an area named Badkhyz in Turkmenistan. To conserve the last natural population of this subspecies of kulan the Badkhyz Natural Reserve was established in 1941. The historical and contemporary distribution, fluctuation in numbers, conservation and sci research of kulan populations in the Badkhyz Natural reserve are reviewed in this paper.

Turkmenian Kulan (Equus Onager Kulan) Captive Population, Anna Mekarska

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The Turkmenian kulan (Equus onager kulan) is critically endangered, fewer then 1,500 animals are left in the wild. In 2004, there were additional 570 Turkmenian kulans living in captivity: 156 specimens in Euro-Asian zoos, 83 in Askania Nova Reserve and 331 in Canyon Colorado Equid Sanctuary. Population size in EAZA region is decreasing both in terms of numbers and genetic parameters. Those facts underline the urgent need for coordinating development of Eurasian kulan’s captive population. From 2004 onwards, large efforts to create healthy breeding groups in zoos raised bigger interest in this species in European zoos.

Contributions To The Chiroptera Of Mongolia With First Evidences On Species Communities And Ecological Niches, Dietrich Dolch, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Klaus Thiele, Frank Burger, Ingo Scheffler, Andreas Kiefer, Frieder Mayer, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Leonard Krall, Dirk Steinhauser

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In this paper are presented the accounts of 13 identified bat species from a total of 628 captured specimens from 32 locations in Mongolia during three field expeditions. These species accounts include taxonomical, morphological, and ecological data resulting from observations and further analyses. As a result of this work the distribution of some bat species in Mongolia can be drawn in more detail. For instance, Vespertilio murinus is much wider distributed and abundant than the former records indicate. The Plecotus species were clearly identified by genetic analyses combined with morphological characteristics. Moreover, the second record for Eptesicus serotinus and the …

Asiatic Wild Ass In Israel, David A. Blank

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The Syrian wild ass (Equus hemionus hemippus) lived in Israel in historic times until the 1930s, when it disappeared from the entire Middle East region. Khulans from other subspecies (E. h. onager - six individulas and E. h. kulan - five individuals) were brought to Israel from European zoos during 1968-69 (the authors of project considered that onager and kulan were the same subspecies) and these animals bred together in the semi-captivity conditions of the Haibar Yotvata Reserve. Later, during a 12-year period from 1982 through 1993, six groups totalling 38 khulans (17 males and 21 females) …

Über Die Federmerkmale Der Mongolischen Habichte Und Sperber Accipiter Spec. Im Vergleich Zu Den Mitteleuropäischen Unterarten, Wolf-Dieter Busching

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Zusammenfassung

Der Autor vergleicht und beschreibt die Federmerkmale und Kleider- und Alterskennzeichen der mongolischen mit den mitteleuropäischen Habichten und Sperber Accipter-spec. Dabei sind Habicht Accipiter gentilis und Sperber Accipiter nisus in der Mongolei in den Unterarten Accipiter gentilis schvedowi bzw. A. nisus nisosimilis verbreitet. Zum Trillersperber Accipiter gularis, der in der Mongolei in der ssp. sibiricus brütet, gibt es kein mitteleuropäisches Gegenstück. Die Federmerkmale der mongolischen Accipiter-Arten werden hier erstmals eingehend beschrieben und abgebildet.

Summary

A comparison of the characteristic features, the plumage and age-classes of Accipiter gentilis and A. nisus of Middle Europe and Mongolia is given …

Identification Of Herder-Wild Equid Conflicts In The Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area In Sw Mongolia, Petra Kaczensky, N. Enkhsaihan, O. Ganbaatar, Christian Walzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

In protected areas of Mongolian overgrazing, competition with wild ungulates and poaching are important management concerns. The Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA) in SW Mongolia is a re-introduction site for the Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), a stronghold of the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), and remains an important grazing area for seminomadic herders. We show the power of simple inventory and monitoring methods to assess herder-wildlife conflicts, by combining data of: (1) human and livestock demographic data, (2) migration patterns, of semi-nomadic herders, (3) monthly surveys of wild- and domestic ungulates, and (4) …

Verzeichnis Der Publikationen Aus Der Reihe „Ergebnisse Der Mongolisch-Deutschen Biologischen Expeditionen Seit 1962“: Results Of The Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions Since 1962, Michael Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

First paragraph:

In den Jahren 1962 und 1964 begann auf Initiative des Institutes für Kulturpflanzenforschung der Deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Gatersleben (unter Leitung von Prof. Dr. Hans Stubbe) die Zusammenarbeit mit der Mongolischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Ulan- Bator auf biologischem Gebiet. Mit dem Abschluss eines Kooperationsvertrages zwischen der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle und der Nationalen Universität Ulan-Bator im Jahre 1967 schloss sich eine bis heute währende Periode intensiver Projektarbeit auf gemeinsamen Expeditionen von Zoologen und Botanikern an. Forschung, Aus- und Weiterbildung wurden zu einer einzigartigen Synthese geführt, die ihren Niederschlag in zahlreichen Publikationen, internationalen Symposien und einem eigenen Journal mit …

Euchoreutes Naso Sclater, 1890: Ein Säugetier-Endemit Zentralasiens, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Ellen Driechciarz, René Driechciarz, A. Schonert, M. Winter

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The first specimen of Euchoreutes naso was collected by N. M. PRZEWALSKI 1879 in Central Asia, in Dzungaria. SCLATER described the species in 1890. In Mongolia Euchoreutes was found in 1924. Fifty years later new records were published by SOKOLOV et al. (1978). A taxonomic revision was done by ŠENBROT et al. (1992, 1995). The species was related to the family Sminthidae (Rodentia/Mammalia). We found the most eastern locality in Mongolia at the longitude 106° 47' E. The reproduction rate was 3.1 (n = 8 females). In the laboratory we noticed a litter of four young. The body mass …

Investigation Of The Kiang (Equus Kiang, Equidae) Skull From Ladakh, India, Natalia Spasskaya

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The species-rank of Equus kiang was recently supported by molecular and genetic studies (RYDER & CHEMNICK 1990). Three subspecies are currently recognized in this species: eastern - E. k. holdereri, southern - E. k. polyodon and western - E. k. kiang, differing in some cranial and external features (GROVES & MAZAK 1967). Kiang populations are scarce and widely separated at present; which was a reason for a reassessment of the taxonomic status and distribution of at least one or two of these three races.

An interesting skull of kiang was recovered by N. Paklina and C. van Orden …

Carl Hagenbeck Und Die Przewalskipferde, Klaus Gille, Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

First paragraph:

Was den unmittelbaren Anstoß für CARL HAGENBECK gab, 1901 den Import von Przewalskipferden zu initiieren, ist nicht bekannt. In seiner Autobiographie „Von Tieren und Menschen“ (1908) verweist er selbst auf eine Anregung durch den Herzog von BEDFORD (S. 212), die ihn zu diesem Unternehmen bewogen habe.

Surviving A Drought: Population Dynamics Of Ochotona Pallasi Pricei In A Dry Steppe, Gobi Altai, Mongolia, Karin Nadrowski, Georg Miehe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Two distinct life history traits are described from the genus Ochotona, the group of “burrowing” species exhibiting high but fluctuating population densities and the “non-burrowing” species exhibiting relatively stable low population densities. The life history traits are linked to ecosystem dynamics with climatically variable steppe environments hosting “burrowing” species and relatively stable mountainous and rocky habitats hosting “non-burrowing” species. There are few intermediate species, living in both steppe and rocky environments. This study presents survival rates, reproductive rates and a tentative model of population dynamics for Ochotona pallasi pricei, an intermediate species with respect to habitat preference. We …