The Little Rann of Kutch is home to the wild ass sanctuary, which is the only remaining habitat of the Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur), locally called khur.
About 6,000 of these sandy and brown creatures live in this area.
The khur has outlasted predators such as the cheetah and the lion, which were last spotted in this region in the 1850s.
The khur have recently overcome a near-extinction event on account of diseases.
The viral African Horse sickness, and Surra (caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma evansi and spread by biting insects) had decimated many herds.
Only a few hundred survivors were estimated in the 1960s.