Semi-Wild Population of Kulans in the Bukhara Breeding Centre and Their Co-Habitation with Przewalski’s Horses

Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski\u27s horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski\u27s horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans are under threat of disappearance. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for conservation and reintroduction of wild ungulate species. In 1977-1978, five kulans (two males and three females) from Barsa-Kelmes Island on the Aral lake were introduced to the reserve. The group increased to 25-30 animals in 1995-1998, when five Przewalski\u27s horses from Moscow and St. Petersburg zoos were introduced to the same territory. We analyzed the home ranges, preferred habitats and social interactions of these closely related species during 1995-1999 by season and group composition. Horses and kulans each formed a reproductive group and a secondary bachelor group. The home range of the secondary group in both species was larger then that of the reproductive group and seemed to be less dependent on watering places. Kulans and Przewalski\u27s horses demonstrated different strategies of habitat use. They can share one area without serious conflicts, avoiding competition by the temporal differentiation in the usage of key sites