The Wild Indian Ass

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The Desert:the little Rann Sanctuary is someplace I've always wanted to visit. It is a desert for half of the year with temperatures touching 55 degrees celsius (131 F) with the occasional dust tornadoes. In the monsoon it is completely flooded and becomes a pit stop for millions of migratory birds. We visited in between the two seasons, and yet it was one of the most extreme environments I've ever visited. The endless earth was cracked and blinding white, all around you could see extraordinary mirages and it was quite disorientating.
The Indian Wild Ass: The locals of this harsh environment are the indian wild ass, they look more like zebra and move in herds. They are extremely fast with running speeds of up to 70kmph. Seeing herds of these majestic creatures running across the parched land with streaks of dust in their wake was an unforgettable sight. They are extremely rare and are an endangered species.
The Bonus: Flocks of flamingos use the Rann as a breeding ground in the monsoon, and we were lucky to see large numbers of these peculiar creatures. One could spend hours just watching them dance around in the shallow waters. It's hard to get close enough for good photographs as they are extremely shy and have a large flight radius.

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Photos

The Wild Indian Ass
How they manage to survive the summer beats me.

The terrain.
The harsh Rann sanctuary.

In the land of diamonds.
Those are actually salt crystals,

Water or mirage?
Can you see the mirage on the horizon?