The female kiang appeared in the Feldman Ecopark. The animal was brought from the Riga national zoo (Latvia) within the contract on animal transfer under the Conservation Breeding Programme. According to Valeriia Ivashchenko, the Feldman Ecopark’s deputy director of zootechnics, the arrived two-year-old female for which the name hasn’t been chosen yet, will make couple to Fedia, the kiang living in the Regional Landscape Park.
“The kiang is not widespread in Ukraine (we had two males – one of them was transferred to the Kharkiv zoo). We couldn’t find a female – probably, they were non-existent in Ukraine. Therefore we are very glad to cooperate with the Riga zoo which is one of world leaders in kiang breeding. This zoo possesses large population living in wild conditions like in Askania-Nova — Valeriia Ivashchenko told. – We strongly hope that our kiang will create couple and they’ll have posterity”.
The newcomer feels well and accustoms to the Regional Landscape Park. All required veterinary procedures have been made in Riga and then the kiang underwent the veterinary control on the border and in Kiev. They have already got acquainted with Fedia, but so far only over the fence. “Kiangs are matriarchal and the female can show the tough vice. Therefore the acquaintance process needs precautionary approach” — Valeriia Ivashchenko emphasized.
It should be noted that within the cooperation agreement signed at the end of last year in the Feldman Ecopark, more animals will arrive from the Riga zoo soon – a young male of a lynx, and also several mocos (the Brazilian mountain pigs).
Reference. Kiang — a mammal of Equidae family. Meets in Tibet and adjacent regions. The kiang is closely related to the onager, slightly large in size and has greater similarity to a horse. The body length is about 210 cm, about 142 cm height at the shoulder and weight from 250 to 400 kg. In summertime the coat is sleek reddish brown while winter long wool is darker brown. The kiangs live in groups from 5 to 400 individuals. The largest of them are females and foals and also youth of both genders. The mature female is usually a group leader.
