Asiatic wild ass: India
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2015: on endangered list
The Times of India, Aug 23 2015
Himanshu Kaushik
Asiatic wild ass now on endangered list
Population down by 52% in 16 years
The wild ass, locally known as ghudkhar and found only in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat in India, has been classified as an endangered animal. The Red List of International Union For Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released recently moved the wild ass from the `vulnerable' to `endangered' category, indicating the need for heightened conservation measures. The IUCN added that the population of the Asiatic wild ass has declined by an alarming 52% in the past 16 years. In Gujarat, there are 4,451 wild asses as per the 2014 census. In 2004, their number was 3,863.
Principal chief conservator of forest H C Pant said, “Gujarat has recorded a 10% rise in numbers especially in the past five years. This change in classification must be prompted by the decline in their population across the world.“
The IUCN report, however, mentions specifics related to Gujarat. “The Little Rann of Kutch faces direct threat from increasing human activities. The ecology of the wild ass sanctuary , for example, is threatened by a canalbuilding project -the Sardar Sarovar Project of the Narmada Development Authority,“ states the report. It also points out how the rising numbers of grazing livestock leads to stiff competition for natural reserves. Salt mining, a major economic industry for local people, has increased 140% since 1958.
“This is particularly disruptive as the period for salt mining coincides with the ad vanced stage of pregnancy in the wild ass,“ states the report. Member of the National Wildlife Board, H S Singh, conceded that the wild ass habitat has witnessed widespread destruction due to rapid development of agriculture and salt mining.
