Understanding kiang's natural history and behaviour in the Tso Kar basin, Ladakh.

This study is about the Tibetan wild ass or Equus kiang kiang, endemic to the Tibetan plateau, with ninety percent of its population in China and only eight percent in India. The kiang population has increased, possibly approaching 1500 individuals in central and eastern Ladakh. Understanding the factors determining its distribution in Ladakh is vital for conservation planning and studying its daily conflicts with the livestock and, ultimately, humans. Kiang is listed under'Schedule 1' of the Indian' Wildlife (protection) Act 1972', and its population must be efficiently conserved. Apart from livestock, many biotic and abiotic factors such as lakes, settlements, vegetation, roads/trails, and weather influence its distribution in the Tso Kar basin, Ladakh. The nomadic chang pa herders who herd pashmina goats for the preeminent cashmere or pashmina industry and sheep and domestic yak become important socio-political factors for kiang's patchy distribution. To study the distribution in the summers, a 'transect-based sampling' method was inducted, and the data was mapped using different tools and techniques such as GPS device, PRESENCE, and QGIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]