Ohh that's a nose ring I have never seen before. As @deerjay I would also say it is to make sure it does not eat something it shouldn't. It remarks me that with such a setup he would not be able to eat anything above a certain height. Maybe it is also used to protect certain crops, tree bark...? Central Asia in my (probably inaccurate) imagination could look like the place where there is an agricultural mix with a variety of land uses in one place and where such a thing is needed.