#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Geography of Siberian Federal University and the United Directorate of Taimyr Nature Reserves will conduct a large-scale study of the musk ox population in the north of the Krasnoyarsk region.
As Siberian Federal University professor and scientific director of the project Alexander Savchenko said, this research is of practical importance for the residents of Taimyr.
“Now, when, thanks to our joint work with industrial partners, the wild reindeer of Taimyr is being systematically monitored, in particular, quotas for its production are regulated, it is very important to study musk oxen – the only representatives of their kind on our planet. This animal today is a commercial species of the North; it provides meat, skins and valuable down. It will probably become increasingly important, and, that is most important, the musk ox does not migrate like the deer and is more stable in its habitats”, he noted.
The professor emphasized that earlier studies of musk oxen were carried out in certain territories both by the reserve and by Siberian Federal University scientists, but they did not affect the entire population, TASS writes.
“When studying reindeer, we marked some musk ox habitats”, added Alexander Savchenko.
According to him, the musk ox population will be studied using aerial surveys using light aircraft. Hunters from among the residents of northern villages will also be involved, and an analysis of aerial photographs of musk ox encounters for 2020 – 2023 is planned. Based on the research, experts will develop scientifically based recommendations for the rational use of the musk oxen population in Taimyr, which will be presented to the regional authorities. The work is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2024. The research will be carried out with the support of the RN-Vankor grant program.
The musk ox is a massive animal with a large head, short neck, and powerful rounded horns. Adults have thick and long hair; males weigh up to 500 kilograms. The animal lives in the foothills and mountain ranges of the Arctic.
Musk oxen were found in the vast expanses of Siberia, including Taimyr, about three thousand years ago, as evidenced by archaeological finds. Their herds grazed next to mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses. Climate change and human fishing led to the extinction of animals in this area. 50 years ago, musk oxen returned to the territory where they once lived. In 1974, the Canadian government donated ten musk oxen to the Soviet Union, and they were taken to the Bikada river area. Later, another herd was brought to Taimyr from the USA.
Earlier, we reported that, according to scientists, two million musk oxen can be raised in the Russian North – in Taimyr the population of these animals numbers ten thousand. A huge sculpture of a musk ox was installed near the building of the Taimyr Nature Reserves directorate – a bronze sculpture added to the collection of animal figures in Norilsk, including a polar bear, deer, walrus and storks.
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Text: Irina Chernyshova, Photo: Denis Kozhevnikov
