Bid to save nomads' best friend

ULAN BATOR - The large stray with a lion-like mane and fur curled into dreadlocks looked no different from the mangy mutts roaming Mongolia's capital when his future owner found him years ago.

Delgeriin Tserenkhand was a teenager when he saved the dog from the streets - only discovering later that his shaggy haired pet belonged to one of the most ancient breeds in the world.

Now Delgeriin, 34, is part of a growing movement to revive the Mongolian bankhar, a rare herder dog steeped in nomadic traditions that almost died out.