Salt licks are key places for the ecological dynamics of wildlife communities around the world and are important components of terrestrial ecosystems that have special value in the annual life cycle of large herbivorous mammals.
The Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) is considered to be the last and only remaining wild horse species in the world, declared extinct in the wild and reintroduction to Mongolia in 1990s. The Przewalski’s horse has been settled at the original habitat, Hustai National Park, in order to manage the protection effectively. HNP located in the center of Mongolia, belongs to a mountain forest steppe belt of Khentii mountain range, 100 km west of Ulaanbaatar city.
Based on the soil conditions in Hustai National Park, we are concerned a significant number of the Przewalski’s horse foals population have succumbed to inadequate growth rates attributed to elemental deficiencies. Within the broader Mongolian setting, The depletion of soil essential elements is a key factor affecting the health status of large herbivorous mammals. In response, the management of HNP has implemented the establishment of artificial salt licks in proximity to the habitats of Przewalski’s horse. The aim of this study is to clarify whether soil at artificial salt licks can enough provide the replenishment of crucial essential elemental components for growth of wild horses.
Five artificial salt lick sites were selected in HNP. At the Center of Salt Lick (CSL) and three sampling points (distance from 50m, 100m, 200m) were selected. Surface soil (5cm depth) samples were collected by soil core. Major elements (Ca, Na, K, Mg, Fe, P as PO3-) and trace elements (Zn, B, Cu, Cr, Mn, Mo) were measured by ICP-OES. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio were measured by SUMIGRAPH.
In terms of major elements, Ca, Na, K and Mg in CSL were higher than other three sampling points. It was considered that salt licks were functioning to provide necessary elements for wild Przewalski' s horse. The contents of Na and Ca indicated the highest in CSL and decreased with distance. While the contents of K, Mg, Fe and P were lower than other three points. In terms of trace elements, B, Cu, Mo and Cr in CSL were lower, while Mn and Zn were higher in CSL at several sites.
In this study, the effects of these elements provided by salt licking on the health of wild Przewalski’s horse could be further discussed.