local people to treat a variety of ailments. Furthermore, there are a handful of genuine oases in the south of the province, most of which are in the Shinejinst area. The most famous oasis, Ekhiin-Gol, was once home to the Lama Dambijant or Ja Lama, an early 20th-century revolutionary turned bandit. Wildlife Bayankhongor aimag boasts a diverse wildlife population, although, unfortunately, many species are endangered. Despite protected areas in the aimag, the populations of animals such as the snow leopard, long-eared jerboa, Mongolian wild ass, and wild Bactrian camels are rapidly diminishing. The Gobi bear population is estimated at less than 50 animals. On the other hand, Bayankhongor residents have been heard to say that the aimag has the most marmots out of any aimag. The middle salt lake depression plane, particularly areas like Boon Tsaagan Nuur and Orog Nuur are excellent birding areas with endangered birds such as the Dalmatian pelican and relict gull. Both these lakes are protected through the World Ramsar Convention for Wildlife Diversity. Domesticated animals in Bayakhongor include Bactrian camels, horses, sheep, goats, yaks, cattle, and a yak-cattle hybrid called a khainag. Attractions The attractions of Bayankhongor vary from the natural (Gobi bear) to the man-made (Chess Stones of Erdentsogt); from the old (prehistoric petroglyphs in Bayan Lig) to the older (dinosaur bones in Bugiin Tsav). Since the aimag contains all three major geographic zones of Mongolia (forest, steppe, and desert) it is a great place to commune with nature. Museums There are two museums in the aimag capital, a History and Ethnographic Museum and a Museum of Natural History. The History and Ethnographic Museum contains exhibits of traditional nomadic life such as information on weddings, ger life, and traditional clothes. It also has some interesting artifacts from Bayankhongor during Manchu Rule, and religious exhibits including a pair of famous Green and White Tara statues, the Jadamba Sutras, and shaman robes. The Museum of Natural History contains various mineral specimens from the aimag such as marble and volcanic rock, as well as various mounted endemic animals. The highlights of the museum are the complete skeleton of a Tarbosaurus dinosaur and a 130-million-year-old fossil of a turtle discovered in the Bugiin Tsav (Bugiin Ravine) in the Gobi Desert. Parks The aimag capital has a few parks, namely the Dinosaur Park and the Children's Park. The Dinosaur Park consists of models of the many dinosaur species found