Wild Ass Sanctuary

Gujarat possesses 2 wildlife “parks” with UNESCO WH “history”. Each “majors” on a specific Mammal species - Gir NP, famous as the only location remaining for the Asiatic Lion, and the Little Rann of Kutch, gazetted as a “Wild Ass Sanctuary”. The former was once on India’s T List but was removed in 1992 and the latter was added in 2006 having once had a failed nomination way back in 1993 - and it remains there (without, as far as I am aware, any further nomination activity). We had time for but 1 “wildlife” experience during our 2019 trip to Gujarat - which was it to be??? Gir seemed to require at least 2 days of a.m/p.m game runs in order to provide even a "hope" of coming up with a lion and reports of the experience on the Web were not that inviting. But can anyone really justify going out of their way to see an “Ass” – an animal whose general persona is of a rather unprepossessing creature which, across the millennia, has been badly treated by humans as a pack animal and "repays" that treatment by braying complaints and apparent general "stupidity"?

Well, the Indian Wild Ass on show in the Little Rann of Kutch, is, I think you would agree (photo), actually a rather a handsome creature, somewhat removed in looks and stature from the domesticated version most of us will have come across in N Africa/Middle East!! It turns out that there are 2 …