Wild Yak - Bos grunniens

Wild Yak - Bos grunniens Linnaeus, 1766.

IUCN STATUS CATEGORY Vulnerable

HABITAT The Tibetan plateau of steppe, alpine tundra and ice desert between 4,300 and 5,200m.

GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD Remote areas of the Tibetan plateau and adjacent highlands. China, India and possibly Bhutan.

CURRENT POPULATION Only a few hundred Wild Yaks remain; domestic animals may number 12 million animals.

SIZE Head and body length up to 325cm. Shoulder height may be over 200cm.

WEIGHT Males 1,000kg. Females only weigh about a third as much.

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY Maximum longevity is 25 years.

NORMAL DIET Grass, herbs and lichens.

NORMAL LIFESTYLE The Yak stays at high areas with permanent snow during the relatively warm months of August and September and spends the rest of the year at lower elevations. Females and young congregate in herds, adult males spend most of the year in groups of up to 12 animals. Births occur in June, a single calf is born every other year. Yak herds travel on snow in single file carefully stepping on imprints left by the leader.

PREVIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD As present but at much higher population densities. Area of distribution is now greatly fragmented.

REASONS FOR DECLINE Numbers have declined drastically through uncontrolled hunting.

CURRENT THREATS Poaching is the main threat to the remaining animals. It is difficult to enforce protection within the yaks range. Disturbance in its habitat, hybridisation and competition with domestic stock and disease also threaten the Wild Yak.

CONSERVATION PROJECTS Officially protected by China since 1962 although this is difficult to enforce in mountainous regions. Partially protected in India under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. Necessary conservation measures required include surveys to locate viable populations, legal protection, captive breeding programmes and the establishment of reserves.

SPECIAL FEATURES The Yak was probably domesticated in Tibet during the first millennium B.C., and it now occurs throughout the high plateaux and mountains of Central Asia. The Wild Yak constitutes a potentially valuable source of genetic material for the improvement of domestic stock. It may therefore be considered an animal for which conservation measures should be a priority.

REFERENCES

National Research Council. 1983. Little-known Asian Animals with a Promising Economic Future. National Academy Press: Washington, DC. 27-33.

Thornback, J. 1983. Wild Cattle, Bison and Buffaloes: Their Status and Potential Value. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre: Cambridge 29-32.

This information has been made available with help from WWF and Chevron.

We regret that we cannot provide more general species information of this type. For further information, we suggest you browse the web or go to your local library or bookstore. You will find species information and other conservation information on the WWF web site.