The regional Ministry of Ecology is strengthening control over the conservation of the Taimyr population, the number of which is decreasing.
The Krasnoyarsk region Ministry of Ecology specialists have marked wild reindeer with satellite collars. The department strengthens control over the conservation of the population of this species of animals this way.
The collars are equipped with the built-in receivers of the GPS/GLONASS satellite system. According to the regional Ministry of Ecology and Environmental Management, thanks to this technology, it is possible to track the movement of the wild reindeer continuously, to determine the main places of concentration and wintering. According to experts, the devices are easy to attach, painless and do not harm animals.
The department emphasizes that such work has to be done in order to manage hunting resources rationally. The number and location of the Taimyr wild reindeer population has not been estimated since 2014. Then the data obtained showed a decrease in the livestock to 417 thousand individuals, which is 26 percent less than in 2009. These data are very relevant today not only for scientists, but also for local residents. For the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, hunting wild reindeer is one of the traditional activities and one of the main life-supporting factors.
Now there are 15 deer marked by the collars in Taimyr, and 10 individuals living in the Evenk and Turukhansk regions.
At the next stage, the number of animals will be determined using aviation. In 2021, specialists will survey the territories of the main reindeer habitats on an equipped aircraft, assess the number and condition of reindeer herds.
It should be reminded that the Taimyr Nature Reserves have been monitoring the population for the past several years. The attention of the scientists is focused primarily on the wild reindeer. Their number has been causing justified concern: the population is on the verge of extinction.
Text: Victor Tsarev, Photo: open sources
