Area 877 km² | Established 1941 | |
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Similar Repetek Biosphere State Res, Kopet Dag, Köýtendag Range, Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque, Tomb of Ahmed Sanjar | ||
Bathyz Nature Reserve is a nature reserve (zapovednik) of Turkmenistan.
The reserve which covers 877 km2 (339 sq mi) of the Bathyz Plateau ecosystem, was established in Mary Province, between the Kushka River and Tejen River in 1941. 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 sanctuaries:
Fauna
The Reserve is an important stronghold of the Asiatic wild ass. It was once the last place, where the Turkmenian subspecies of this equid (Equus hemionus kulan) 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 large animals of Bathyz are Afghan urials, wild boars, Persian leopards, striped hyenas, and goitred gazelles. The population of these gazelles declined from a maximum of 5000-7000 in the 1980s to about 2000.