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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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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