MONGOLIA 2006

HUSTAI NATIONAL PARK
The next day, a driver picked me up at the Narantuul Hotel, which is where I stayed in between trip legs, for the 90 minute drive west to Hustai National Park, the second place that takhi were reintroduced to Mongolia. This is the main valley accessible to visitors. There are almost always horses visible from the road. It is a mountain-steppe environment, and is between the taiga and the steppe proper. The park is administered jointly by the Mongolian Association for the Conservation of Nature and the Environment (MACNE) and the Foundation Reserves for the Przewalski's Horse, which was established a Dutch couple, Jan and Inge Bouman, in 1977. Eighty-four horses were transported from reserves in the Netherlands and Germany to the park between 1992 and 2000. I was told that there are now 191. The goal is 350, the number thought sufficient to be self-sustaining. This is one of the fifteen harems in the park.
The basic social unit of the tahki, as with some other ungulates, is the harem. A stallion gathers and defends as many mares as he can. The groups I saw ranged from one stallion and his one mare to what looked like over a dozen. In Hustai, at least, the horses have established home ranges that they occupy up to 95% of the time, which must be convenient for the scientists who are observing and studying them. Just another incredible Mongolian sunrise.
This was definitely one of those "I can’t believe I got that shot" pictures. The background color is accurate. What has to be the smallest "harem" at Hustai. When I was watching them, the stallion clearly wasn't going to let his one mare out of his sight for a moment, while she just wandered wherever her fancy took her.
One of the surprise species for me at Hustai was what the Mongolian call "marel" or the Europeans, red deer. They looked and were acting the same as the Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) that are native to the north coast of California where I live. A little research revealed however, that they are, in fact, a different species (Cervus elaphus). As we drove through the park in the morning, I could hear 2-3 bugling, just like in Yellowstone. The second morning, we came upon this waterhole stand-off between two harems. It seemed that the group on the left was finishing up and the one on the right was waiting for its chance for a morning drink.
In the lead of this group is a foal of the year. Yet another harem in the same vicinity, moving toward their morning grazing area.
Late afternoon light. My guide told me that the Mongolians call the highest point in the park "God Mountain" because the many vertical rock formations make it look like the mountain is on fire. I could see what she meant, especially at this time of day. A typical park road. We were driving across this grassy steppe area to the Tuul Gol, the river that runs along the southern border of the park. It is known as a great bird watching place.
Part of a large group of Mongolian gazelles that I saw on the way to the river, with domestic horses in the background. The Tuul Gol, which forms part of the southeast boundary of the park.
Two herders' gers on the bluff overlooking the river. As you can see from the previous picture, they have quite a nice view. A lucky shot. I was tracking this black stork in flight and just happened to get this one.
One of the herders who lives in the riverside ger moving some cattle. The livestock area near the gers.
We visited one of the gers and I was treated to one of the best things I had in Mongolia. When the milk is heated up in the big metal bowl that sits in an opening in the top of the stove, it forms a crust. This bowl is some of that crust covered in clotted cream. One spoons it out onto slices of fresh bread. It was to die for! The child of my host. She was shy, but curious. After leaving the ger, we worked our way back to the ger camp for the afternoon. That evening I got one last drive through the park, way out and around to Moilt camp, where there are cabins that one can stay in.
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