Wild Yak (3)  vs. Mountain Zebra (6):

Wild yaks (Bos mutus) like to have friends in high places - they're herd animals that once numbered in the millions in the high elevations of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Despite almost being driven to extinction in the 1970s by excessive hunting, yaks still prefer to live in herds of tens to hundreds of animals. Reindeer games? Try zebra games! While other zebra species are rarely recorded engaging in play, mountain zebra (Equus zebra) often initiate play by racing or chasing each other. From there, they may rub their nose/body, groom, or play-fight (fighting, now with exaggerated movements). 

Tonight's battle is back in the remote, high-elevation alpine meadows of Chang Tang Reserve. Our large male Wild Yak has gone back to peacefully grazing with his herd after the highly volatile (pun intended) antics of Zorilla in Round 1. Meanwhile, Mountain Zebra finishes his daily dust bath and rolls into a kneeling position. Now that he's right side up, the ground feels much much colder on his knees. What is this squishy green plant material he's in? Mountain Zebra stands up. He sniffs the moss he was just resting on and gives it a tentative nibble. His sharp hooves easily part the moss, but there's no dust underneath, just ice. Mountain Zebra surveys the meadow. Is that a herd of wildebeest? They look a lot more hairy than usual.

The wild yak herd continues peacefully grazing. While they have a keen sense of smell, their sense of hearing and sight are...less good. Like Zorilla, Zebra is downwind of the herd. Zebra eyes Wild Yak. The Yak seem more similar to the African buffalo Zebra is used to - maybe it's better to steer clear since bovids of this size seem to be aggressive and belligerent. Just as Zebra starts to trot towards warmer pastures, a rogue domestic yak comes charging onto the scene, with a human herder in hot pursuit! The entire herd of wild yaks high tails it ["when running, the yak carries its tail high up or even over its back" (Rockhill 1895, p266)] " “until visual contact is no longer possible, often over mountain passes or onto distant snowfields" and OFF THE FIELD OF BATTLE. MOUNTAIN ZEBRA OUTLASTS WILD YAK!  Narrated by Maura Dasari.