The wild animals threatened with extinction include the Gobi Bear (lat. Ursus arctos gobiensis), also known as the Mazaalai, a small sub-species of the brown bear. It lives predominantly in the higher regions of the Gobi Desert and feeds mainly on plants. It has been estimated that a mere 30 specimens of this bear, which weighs about 110kg, now survive. Mongolia’s environment ministry has already had to intervene on a number of occasions to ensure that the small Gobi Bear population has sufficient food to get through severe winters.