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[ [link removed] ]A photo of a bankhar dog guarding a herd of goats in Mongolia.

John,

On the vast Mongolian Steppe, nomadic herders raise their livestock under
constant threat from predators like wolves and snow leopards. These
attacks mean economic disaster, but they have one secret weapon to keep
their animals safe: bankhar dogs.

Bear-like bankhars were almost extinct, but one incredible program is
trying to bring them back, breeding and gifting puppies to the nomads.
Some report that since receiving their dog, they’ve not lost a single
animal to predators!

This simple act could give economic freedom and sustainability to
thousands of Mongolian herders. But the program had its funding slashed by
big conservation groups during Covid and they’re asking us for help – if
enough of us chip in, we can not only keep them afloat but double their
efforts and double the number of people they support.

Can you help them defend this way of life and bring hope to the Steppe?



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For 15,000 years, bankhar dogs guarded the Mongolian Steppe, protecting
nomadic herders and their livestock from predators.

They were the backbone of a way of life.

But Soviet-era policies pulled nomads into sedentary lives. The dogs
weren’t needed. They were let loose, exterminated, and turned into fur
coats for Moscow’s aristocracy. They nearly disappeared completely.

Now our partner, the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project, is trying to bring
them back.

This incredible program could save an entire culture and way of life, but
is struggling to make ends meet. They’ve come to us for a lifeline – but
if enough of us chip in, we can not only keep them afloat but double their
program – double the on-the-ground staff, double the breeding effort,
double the number of herders supported.

This could change hundreds of lives in Mongolia. Can you help bring back
the dog guardians of Mongolian steppes?



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This story is so complex it could be a soap opera.

Because it isn’t just about this incredible species of dog pushed to the
brink or about a historic culture trying to regain its footing. It’s also
about climate change and the exploitative textile industry!

Yes, really.

As herders returned to the Steppe without their guardian dogs, their herds
were vulnerable to hungry wolves and snow leopards. Under pressure to meet
the demands of the predatory cashmere wool trade, herders started adding
more and more animals to their flock – as much as tripling the number of
animals to reduce the impact of the losses. But the ecosystem couldn’t
handle it – the animals ate so much that they started turning the Steppe
grasslands into a vast desert! It was an environmental and economic death
spiral.

Then the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project arrived. They started
re-introducing the guardian dogs, gifting them to herders who signed up
for a sustainable cashmere program that would be gentler on the
environment. Can you chip in to support this incredible project that’s
remaking the future of an entire culture?



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$3[ [link removed] ]Donate
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It’s rare to see so many massive issues so clearly interlinked: economic
development for vulnerable people and cultures, sustainable textile
production, protection of at-risk species, desertification and climate
change…and, of course, the dogs!

We’re proud to be able to tell the story and support this project to
change the future of the Mongolian steppes and all its people and wildlife
inhabitants. Will you join us?



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$3[ [link removed] ]Donate
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  Thanks for all that you do,  
Danny and the Ekō team



---------------------------------

More information:

[ [link removed] ]Can the Mighty Bankhar Dogs of Mongolia Save the Steppe?, Atlas
Obscura, 23 February 2021.

[ [link removed] ]Could Dogs Help Save the Mongolian Steppe?, Scientific American, 1
February 2018.

[ [link removed] ]Impact of livestock guardian dogs on livestock predation in rural
Mongolia, Wiley, 7 July 2021.

[ [link removed] ]The dogs that could stop Mongolian grasslands turning to desert,
YouTube, 10 June 2019.

 

Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

Please help keep Ekō strong by chipping in $3. [link removed]