Poaching and hunting of endangered species is a problem in Mongolia. Bears are hunted for their gall bladders, musk deer for their glands and snow
leopards for their bones to supply the Chinese medicine market. The government annually hands out licenses to hunt 300 ibex and 40 argali sheep. The feess earned the government $500,000 in the early 2000s.
Wild Bactrian Camels
The poaching problem is blamed on ineffective laws, poor enforcement and corruption “at all management levels.” According to study entitled The Silent Steppe: The Illegal Wildlife Trade Crisis in Mongolia one of the biggest problems was the decline of the economy after and poor enforcement after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The study said: “virtually everyone was looking for a way out of this sudden poverty and, for many, wildlife, now unprotected, provided the answer.” The report went on to say, “Neighboring countries, especially China, have been the happy recipients of this new stream of wildlife product, consuming millions of animals every years and generating uncounted profits”
Mongolia is so huge it is difficult to police the entire country. Rangers are believed to have been involved in some of the poaching. Experts think their best hope is enforcing tougher legislation aimed at curbing demand by controlling trade in animal products.
See Different Animals Below.
There are fewer than 900 wild Bactrian camels remaining in the wild. They live in three small populations: 1) one on the Mongolian-China border; 2) far western China; and 3) in the Kum Tagh desert. They are threatened by poaching, wolves and illegal mining. Some illegal miners have placed explosives at water holes to blow up camels.
Ancestors of the domestic camel, wild Bactrian camels are slimmer and less wooly and have smaller conical humps than domesticated Bactrian camels. They stand 172 centimeters at the shoulder. Males weigh 600 kilograms and females weigh 450 kilograms. They eat grasses, leaves and shrubs.
Wild Bactrian camels live on the arid plains, hills and desert in Mongolia and China. They can survive on shrubby plants and no water for 10 days. They follow migratory paths across the desert to oasis and feed in tall grasses.
Female Bactrian camels travel in small groups with six to 20 members. Males are often solitary but will unite with a female group in the mating season if strong enough to fend off rivals. During the the rutting season males puff out their cheeks, toss their heads, slobber and grind their teeth. Mother Bactrian camels give birth alone. The gestation period is 13 months. Usually one calf, sometimes two, are born. Young can walk almost immediately. After about a month of seclusion mother and young join the group with other females. Young nurse for one to two years.
