A critically endangered Gobi bear (Mazaalai) has died in the southwestern Mongolian province of Bayankhongor.

Ministry of Environment and  Tourism has set up a working group to find out exactly when the bear died and the cause of death.

As for May, 2022,  a total of 51 Gobi bears existed in Mongolia.

Gobi bears, whose habitats have shrunk dramatically compared with the 1950s and 1960s, persist as a unique ecotype in the Gobi Desert of southwestern Mongolia, according to Gobi Bear Project, a non-profit organization focusing on the protection of the endangered species.