African Wild Ass

Facts

IUCN CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)

Facts about this animal

The extant Somali wild ass has a shoulder height of 125-135 cm and weighs about 230-250 kgs. It has a relatively large head with a narrow face and long, erect and motile ears. It has an erect mane without forelock or tufts. The legs are slender with narrow, tall hooves. The coat is short, grey-coloured with a rose tinge over the body and whitish underside, legs and muzzle. The legs have conspicuous zebra stripe and there is a fain dorsal stripe, usually without shoulder cross.

The African wild ass can easily be differentiated from the Asiatic wild asses by its coat colour which is grey, not brownish, and its longer ears.

Did you know?
that the African wild ass is the ancestor of the domestic donkey? In the 16th century, the Spanish brought domesticated African wild asses to the southwestern United States. The descendants of those animals -- best known as burros -- still roam through the Southwest.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	PERISSODACTYLA
Suborder	HIPPOMORPHA
Family	EQUIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Equus africanus
Name (English)	African Wild Ass
Name (French)	Ane sauvage de l'Afrique
Name (German)	Afrikanischer Wildesel
Name (Spanish)	Asno salvaje del Africa
Local names	Kiswahili: Punda
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Miraceti

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan
Habitat	Hilly and stony deserts, and arid to semi-arid bushlands and grasslands
Wild population	Approx. 570 ( EDGE 2011)
Zoo population	There were 165 live Equus africanus somalicus) registered with the International Srudbook on January 1, 2008. In Europe, 21 institutions with a total of just over 100 African wild asses participate in the EEP.

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations, should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Tim Vickers

Why do zoos keep this animal

The African wild ass is critically endangered in the wild. One probably two of the originally three known subspecies are already extinct. With a view of building up an ex situ insurance population an International Studbook was set up in 1968 under the WAZA umbrella, and zoos maintain now a self-sustained population of Equus africanus somalicus managed by AZA and EAZA under regional conservation breeding programmes. The African wild ass is the ancestor of our donkey and is thus also an interesting subject for biological education.

How this animal should be kept

African wild asses should be kept in social groups of one adult male and several females with their offspring. Also the keeping of groups of compatible bachelors is possible, or African wild ass and Grévy's zebra bachelors could be kept together. For up to five adult animals an outdoor enclosure of at least 800 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 80 m² for each additional adult. The enclosure should be well structured, frequently used areas, e.g. at the entrance to the stables, should be paved. The soil should be well drained. There should be sandy patches allowing for wallowing. There must be an easily accessible shelter of sufficient size.

In temperate and cold climatc zones there should be frost-free indoor facilities where a temperature of at least 10°C can be maintained. Indoor facilities should be designed either as a common stable of 20 m² for the first two adult animals is required, which has to be enlarged by 2 m² for each additional adult or, if the animals are individually stabled, there must be boxes of at 8 m² each.

African wild asses are grazers. They should be fed on a diet consisting of grass and hay supplemented by horse pellets, carrots and branches in leave.