Przewalski’s horse, Gobi bear get highest protection
The two animals are top agenda at global wildlife summit in Manila.
The two animals are top agenda at global wildlife summit in Manila. Proposals to protect two of Central Asia’s rarest species, Przewalski’s horse and the Gobi bear, are high on the agenda of the global wildlife summit beginning this week in the Philippine capital of Manila. The government of Mongolia submitted proposals regarding these species to the 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species, or CMS COP12. If agreed, their resolutions will afford the highest protection status under CMS to these animals, whose numbers are critically low. The stoutly-built reddish-brown Przewalski’s horse is the only surviving species of wild horse that has not been domesticated. They traditionally roamed the steppe, shrublands, and plains of western Mongolia and northern China, surviving in temperature extremes from 40 degrees Celsius in the summer and minus 45 degrees in the winter. However, their population has dwindled, with the last confirmed sighting in the wild made in 1969. Experts say that the horses’ demise is due to severe winters, limited habitat and resources, disease and lack of information and awareness. In 2008, following a successful captive breeding programme, Przewalski’s horses were re-introduced into the wild in China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. As of January 1, 2014, the number of living captive and reintroduced animals was 1,988. Likewise, the smallish, light brown Gobi bear, which is regarded as a national treasure by Mongolians, is found only in the extreme environment of the Gobi Desert. Population estimates indicate that fewer than 45 remain in the wild with none in captivity. The animals are a unique ecotype and are adapted to the low food availability and harsh environment of the Gobi Desert, where temperatures may vary between 46 degrees Celsius in summer to minus 34 degrees in winter.
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