The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released a photo today of a single Asiatic wild ass or khulan (Equus hemionus hemionus) crossing a previously impenetrable barrier along the Trans Mongolian Railroad – the first known crossing by this near-threatened species into the eastern steppe in 65 years.

Khulan (Equus hemionus), a species of wild ass living in the Gobi Desert, travel extremely long distances to meet their water needs – a strategy that will require urgent conservation interventions as local human impacts increase, says a team of scientists.

Scientists track a tigress in Russian Far East and learn there is lots of running around, wolfing down big meals, and then back home to watch the kids.

The Wildlife Conservation Society extends congratulations to the ​Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the establishment of the Bamyan Plateau Protected Area, a spectacular landscape of ​4,200 square kilometers with outstanding ecological, cultural, historical and aes­thetic value, nested in the remote central Hindu Kush Moun­tain Range.

The fate of the saiga, a prehistoric antelope species, found on the windswept steppes of Central Asia, will be decided as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) gathers for its 18th Conference of the Parties (CoP18) August 17-28 in Geneva. The saiga is on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered and is vital to the ecosystem of Mongolia’s steppe.

A team of conservationists from the Royal Veterinary College, WCS, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna published a letter in this week’s edition of the journal Science on the threat of the virus peste des petits ruminants (PPR) to conservation.

Scientists estimate there are only 84 remaining highly endangered Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) remaining in the wild across its current range along the southernmost border of Primorskii Province in Russia and Jilin Province of China.

May 4, 2017 – Experts have for the first time mapped the distribution and movement corridors of migratory mammals in combination with threats from linear infrastructure, such as railways, roads, pipelines, and border fences, across the entire Central Asian region. 

July 7, 2016 – A new study by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) says that breeding populations of white-naped cranes have decreased by 60 percent in Ulz River basin – an important stronghold for the species  in Eastern Mongolia.

 June 4,  2015- If you happen to be at one of several popular national parks in the next ten days, you may see a small delegation of Mongolian officials taking in the grandeur alongside you. As part of a trans-national sharing of expertise on park management issues, (WCS) Wildlife Conservation Society is hosting six key members of the Mongolian government for a protected area study tour.  Development, led by an exploding extractive industry, is on the rise and bringing big c...