Can the Mighty Bankhar Dogs of Mongolia Save the Steppe?
Can the Mighty Bankhar Dogs of Mongolia Save the Steppe? These ancient guardians of the traditional nomadic way of life are making a comeback.
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For 15,000 years, bankhar dogs protected livestock and livelihoods on the Mongolian steppe. Nearly lost, the revered dogs are making a slow comeback.
ON THE MONGOLIAN STEPPE, THERE are predators, there are prey, and there are the bankhar. These large, powerful dogs weigh up to 125 pounds, with shaggy, thick coats that give them a bear-like appearance. For 15,000 years, bankhar dogs have been the guardians of the steppe.
In these grasslands, sheep and other livestock kept by traditional nomadic herders are under constant threat from wolves, eagles, and even snow leopards. For millennia, the bankhar safeguarded both animals and the family’s livelihood. In acknowledgement of their importance, bankhar dogs are the only animals that nomadic herders name. The bond is so special that herders believe humans can be reincarnated as bankhar, and bankhar as humans, another unique honor.
“What our ancestors used to tell us, and what our elders used to say to us, and what we believe in the community, is that having a bankhar is spiritually beneficial,” says traditional nomadic herder Nasantsetseg Battulga, through a translator. “There are four people in my household but, if we add our two bankhars, we consider ourselves a family of six,” she adds.
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This is their story: https://www.atlasobscura.com/article...ia-bankhar-dog
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Originally Posted by Calypso Jones
