Wild yak  (Bos mutus)

Range

The wild yak was once numerous and widespread on the entire Tibetan plateau to the north of the Himalayas, but it is now found only in remote areas of this region, where there is little human disturbance. A few wild yaks have been seen in the Chang Chemmo Valley of Ladakh in eastern Kashmir, India. The wild yak is thought to number 10,000 to 15,000, and is distinct from the smaller domestic yak, whose population numbers 12,000,000 (4).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

Found in alpine tundra and cold desert regions in uninhabited mountainous regions between 4,000 and 6,000 metres above sea level. These regions are subject to temperatures dropping below -40ºC, much hail and snow, saline lakes and sparse vegetation (1). The wild yak spends the colder months of the year at lower elevations, but retreats into higher regions during the warmer period between August and September each year (4).

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