The Tibetan Wild Ass Kiang is popularly known as the Tibetan Wild Ass. Wild ass is the nearest kin of modern horses. They are known to man from the historic past. Herodotus, and Xerses the great had the chariots drawn by wild asses.
Wild ass is now an endangered animal.
Now its distribution is shrunken to the plateau of Tibet. Wild asses exhibit two distinct varieties, the southern or onger, which is lighter in color, and the Kiang or central Asian, which is darker and redder, with a rather thick coat in winter. The Tibetan wild ass inhabits in dry or open country. It is a fine climber like the mule. Mostly it feeds on alpine grass and herbs and has a remarkable power for living on in little food.