Several thousand more Mongolian wild donkeys recently fled their drought-stricken homeland and migrated into the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.
Last year, about 30,000 Mongolian wild donkeys swarmed across the Sino-Mongolian border into the Urad Grassland of Inner Mongolia in August, due to a lack of grass caused by a severe drought.
Most of them finally returned home as their new destination was also suffering heavy drought then.
The Chinese government recently started to develop a special natural reserve in Urad, an area bordering Mongolia, to accommodate these migrant animals.
Covering an area of 130,000 hectares, the reserve will be well protected and provide enough grass and water for the donkeys, local officials said.
(People's Daily October 18, 2001)
