Research by scientists of Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow can aid the policy makers in protecting endemic and endangered Indian wild ass which was once prominently found in western parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Director, BSIP Mahesh Thakkar, who was also involved in the research, said that the wild ass of Gujarat, also known as the Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur), played a vital role in the local ecology of the Rann of Kutch and surrounding. areas.
“It is helpful in seed dispersal in the area which helps in promoting vegetation growth and diversity. Besides, it is helpful in habitat creation for other species as it clears pathways by consuming grasses. It regulates predator populations and is important for the balance in the food chain. Its grazing and dung deposition influence nutrient distribution and enrich soil fertility,” said Thakkar.
Today, these species, among the fastest animals in the country, are found majorly in the wildlife sanctuary in the Little Rann of Kutch and in some patches of Greater Rann, as per Thakkar.
People generally think that the wild ass consumes only grasses and some shrubs. “This is the first of its kind research which has found about the precise dietary patterns of the Asian wild ass. The dung of the wild ass was analyzed using biotic and abiotic proxies to find about feeding patterns in relation to existing vegetation and ecology,” said Swati Tripathi, another scientist associated with the research.
During the research, the remains of grass, bathua and legumes helped the scientists in deriving that these were part of the primary diet of the wild ass, said scientist Sadhan Kumar Basumatary.
“There has also been recovery of tree pollen taxa including vilayati keekar, babool and Somlata which indicates the existing vegetation and climate of the region. Along with this, we have found marshy pollen taxa like Cyperaceae (sedges), Onagraceae (a plant from the family of flowering plants) and Arcella (a kind of amoebae found in freshwater),” said Basumatary.
Scientist Biswajeet Thakur said the research was conducted in pre- and post-monsoon conditions, which helped them understand that the species engaged in local migration in search of food. “They are struggling with climate change-related issues and human encroachment. They are moving up to several kilometers for their food and dispersing into the surrounding human-dominated landscapes,” Thakur added.
In both pre- and post-monsoon dung collection, a stable carbon isotope data was found by the scientists which is useful in understanding the characterization of the herbivores coprolites (ancient dung) as grazer in respect to sedimentary soil in natural and archeological sites in regional and global levels.
The research could also lead to the findings related to archeological aspects of the area, shared scientist Anil Pokharia. “The analysis of this research can be used for identification and differentiation between domesticated and wild herbivores in terms of pastoralism during early human civilization,” said Pokharia.
