There are 60,000–70,000 Kiangs in the Tibetan Plateau, 90% of them occur in China, but also in India, Nepal, Pakistan and possibly Bhutan. (Eastern Kiang is found in China, along with two other Kiang subspecies.) The Kiang population is heavily fragmented, most of Kiangs now dwell in protected areas. The population is currently stable. Possible threats include over-hunting and disease transmission from livestock. Still, the main threat is habitat loss due to livestock grazing and also fencing of pastures.

Conservation

■ The species is managed under the EEP (EAZA Ex-situ Programme).
■ Kiang is listed in Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, or Washington Convention).

More about Kiangs at Riga Zoo:

Raipule I. 2002. Rīgas Zooloģiskā dārza kiangu ganāmpulks pasaules dzīvnieku genofonda saglabāšanai (The Kiang herd of the Riga Zoo – for the preservation of the world's animal gene pool). – Rīgas Nacionālais zooloģiskais dārzs 2001. gadā. P. 51–53. (In Latvian, with English summary.)