International Science Community Association International Research Journal of Biological Sciences 2278-3202 7 5 2018 05 10 Status of grasses and sedges used as main natural food plants by Indian wild ass in the fringe areas of little Rann of Kachchh (LRK), Gujarat, India 28 31 EN Akatah Hilda Abiola 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria Omonigho Solomon 2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria Ibrahim Azeez God\'s Gift 3 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria Seyinde Doris Onolenmen 4 Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Anchor University, Lagos, Nigeria Pal Supratim 1 Department of Zoology, University of Gour Banga, Mokdumpur, Malda, West Bengal-732103, India Debnath Sukanta 2 Department of Zoology, Raiganj University, College Para, Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal-733134, India Chakraborty Kaushik 3 Department of Zoology, University of Gour Banga, Mokdumpur, Malda, West Bengal-732103, India Faruq Abdulla Al 1 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 214122 Wuxi, Jiangsu, China Zhang Min 2 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 214122 Wuxi, Jiangsu, China and International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Jiangnan University, China Khatun Mst. Husne Ara 3 State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100190, China Azam S.M. Roknul 4 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 214122 Wuxi, Jiangsu, China R. Carlton 1 Department of Environmental Sciences, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, India C. Ravichandiran 2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, India Suthar Ashok M. 1 Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P. O. Sector-7, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382 007, India Tatu Ketan S. 2 Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P. O. Sector-7, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382 007, India Kamboj R.D. 3 Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P. O. Sector-7, Gandhinagar, Gujarat-382 007, India > Short Communication 2018 2 20 2018 05 10 The Little Rann of Kachchh (LRK) is a well-known stronghold of Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur). Fringes of the LRK, especially the southern fringe, represent the areas of the LRK where maximum population of Wild Ass occurs due to relatively perpetual availability of water and food in the form of agricultural crops due to existence and expansion of a major irrigation canal system of the state. However, these fringe areas not only raise agriculture crops that constitute food for Wild Ass, but are also endowed with certain grasses and sedges that constitute the main natural food of the Wild Ass. A comprehensive ecological field-study was carried out from October 2015 to March 2017 in the LRK and as a part of it, status (i.e. per cent cover and frequency of occurrence) of natural food-plants (i.e. grasses and sedges) of the Wild Ass was also assessed in the southern, eastern and western fringe (along with small northern fringe) areas. The study revealed that though the southern fringe was inhabited by the highest population of Wild Ass (n=1,268 as per the Wild Ass Population Census-2014 by Gujarat Forest Department), the per cent cover and frequency of occurrence of their main natural food - grasses and sedges were very low/lowest among all the fringes. Such a scenario reflects the likely depletion of the grasses and sedges that are used by Wild Ass as the main natural food plants. Such a situation may further lead to over-dependence of Wild Ass on its man-induced food, i.e. agricultural crops and it can further lead to the increased man-animal conflict. As Wild Ass is a Schedule-1 species as per the Wildlife (Protection), Act, 1972, for its effective conservation, restoration of grass cover and that of sedges on the southern fringe is recommended. Copyright@ International Science Community Association