Badhyz State Nature Reserve
A stronghold for the Asiatic wild ass in south-western Turkmenistan.
Last updated
Where it is
Coordinates: 35°52′01″N 61°40′01″E (35.8670, 61.6670) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Badhyz State Nature Reserve (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
Badhyz State Nature Reserve, a zapovednik in southwestern Turkmenistan, was created in 1941 and covers 877 square kilometers across the Mary and Akhal Provinces. Situated south of the Karakum Desert, its western boundary follows the Tejen River.
The terrain features isolated or clustered foothills that rise between 20 and 200 meters. The reserve receives roughly 280 mm of rain annually, with a recorded high of 420 mm and low of 130 mm. A brief spring gives way to a long, hot summer lasting four to five months, with little cooling wind.
The reserve includes three wildlife sanctuaries, or zakazniks, established in 1956: Çemenebit, Gyzyljar, and Pulhatyn. Badhyz is a key refuge for the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus kulan), once the last place where the Turkmenian subspecies survived. Its population grew from 200 at the reserve’s founding to 5,000, then declined sharply to about 650 animals today.
Other hoofed mammals include urial, goitered gazelle, and wild boar. Predators found here are red fox, Persian leopard, striped hyena, grey wolf, and Asiatic wildcat. The Asiatic cheetah once lived in the reserve but has not been seen in the region since the 1960s; a fenced border with Iran now blocks any potential dispersal from that country.
Lore & Background
Its landscape comprises solitary or groups of foothills, ranging in height from 20 to 200 m. The average annual precipitation of the reserve is about 280 mm, with a maximum of 420 mm and a minimum of 130 mm. Its short spring is followed by a long hot summer with 4–5 months of hot weather and little cooling winds. It also incorporates three wildlife sanctuaries (zakaznik), which were established in 1956: Çemenebit Sanctuary, Gyzyljar Sanctuary, and Pulhatyn Sanctuary.
Reader's Guide
The Badhyz State Nature Reserve is an important stronghold of the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus kulan). It was once the last place where the Turkmenian wild ass was found. The wild ass population increased from 200, when the reserve was founded, to 5000 animals. After a strong decline, there are now about 650 wild ass in the sanctuary.
Other ungulates present are urial, goitered gazelle and wild boar. Predators include red fox, Persian leopard, striped hyena, grey wolf, and Asiatic wildcat. The Asiatic cheetah also used to occur in the nature reserve; it has not been recorded in the region since the 1960s, and dispersal of individuals from neighbouring Iran is obstructed by the fenced border between the two countries.
More in World Heritage Tentative List
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Badhyz State Nature Reserve (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced