|
The Canadian forest bisons: REACCLIMATIZATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF SAKHA (YAKUTIA)
Written by YakutiaToday.com
Translated by Yulia Rodina, a YSU student.
In April, 6 2006 30 forest bisons – 15 males and 15 females – were transported by IL-76 of Mirny Alrosa Airlines from Edmonton ( Canada ) to Yakutsk . Three of them were 1.5 year old, the rest are only 1 year old. They are not relatives. The transcontinental flight continued more than 15 hours.
The gift was made by Alberta 's Elk Island National Park. By autumn the bisons were located in 26.5 ha spring-summer cage in the Lenskie Stolby National Nature Park at the Buotama-river mouth in 125 km from Yakutsk .
Purpose
The Republic of Sakha follows the next two targets:
1) to return animals to their historical motherland (in 60-s last century the fact of bisons' living in Yakutia was confirmed; in 1963 Oleg Yegorov, biological sciences doctor, offered to restore their population in Yakutia);
2) to provide the biodiversity of flora and fauna.
As a Canadian Wildlife Service biologist Hal Reynolds reports, the Canadians are interested in keeping bisons that are noted in the Red Data Book. The population can suddenly disappear because of the outbreak of epidemic or nature cataclysm. For that reason to formthe separate geographical group is very important now.
History
Two thousand years ago, after leaving Yakutia, bisons little by little settled in North America and divided into steppe and forest ones. In the middle of XIXth century the foundation of the transcontinental railway began. Bisons were being killed for food for builders; people were entertaining by shooting them from train windows. After that 835 steppe bisons and 100 forest ones of 65 million stayed alive. For some forest bisons Wood Buffalo National Park was found in Canada . Later, steppe bisons were transported there. They were sick with the tuberculosis. Besides, interbreeding, forest bisons could disappear, as they were less.
In 1965 23 thoroughbred forest bisons were transported into Alberta 's Elk Island National Park . Now they are 370. Total their number in Canada is about 4000.
Beginning
The work on the reacclimatization of forest bisons in Yakutia started in 1996.
The next year the project of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) developed by Biological Resources Department under the Ministry of Nature Protection passed the State Certificate. The Canadian Wildlife Service and Alberta 's Elk Island National Park supported this project. The last ones agreed to transport bisons, but the Russians had to pay for delivery ($350 thousand). Transportation was postponed.
Bisons were transported only in 10 years thanks to the support of the President of Yakutia Vyacheslav Shtyrov. He negotiated with Canada 's Prime-Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin about a free bisons transporting, with Canada 's Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Lawrence Cannon about a landing in Edmonton 's Airport, with ALROSA's President A. Nechiporuk about financing the charter flight, and also he controlled the cage building in the Lenskie Stolby Park .
Selection
Yakutia asked for 30 forest bisons – 15 males and 15 females. Firstly, 32 bisons, born in 2005 in wild conditions, were selected.
Before leaving to Yakutia Elk Island specialists examined the bisons on diseases, vaccinated them and treated them for parasites. The bisons were feeded with vitaminized hay and combined feed and watered with the Gatorade water (mixed with glucose and minerals). Before a flight the bisons were examined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency specialists. Two weakest ones were left.
Bisons were transported in special containers with unsliding rubber bottom.
Arrival
“As soon as the plane landed in Yakutsk Airport , we took measures to protect the bisons from overcoolness and, as the result, pneumonia and death,” said Vasily Tikhonov, the deputy director of Biological Resources Department under the Republic Ministry of Nature Protection. “For a long flight in a smaller container the calves became wet, and it was 17°C overboard. The calves had to get dry and cool. For that reason the unloading of containers was postponed.”
For after-flying stress the bisons, located in a 1 ha quarantine cage in the Lenskie Stolby National Nature Park , almost did not eat during the first day. Only over 3 days, by Monday, they began to eat the Canadian combined feed, later they tried Russian feed.
During the quarantine the Ministry of Nature Protection officials kept the bisons in peace. The animals, as the result, became less fearful. In early summer they let people stand near them in a 5-metre distance.
The quarantine lasted till May, 26 2006. There were no any diseases determined.
Parameters
May examination showed: the smallest bison weighs 135 kg . The biggest one is a 1.5-year female – 341 kg . Further males are to weigh more – 720 kg average.
Loss
In April, 22 a female bison was injured during the transporting and died. In the result of pelvic bone break, a 9×5 cm piece of bone fell off. After consulting with the Canadian specialists the bison was killed.
The Department specialists that are experienced in reacclimatization of yaks and musk-oxen consider that anyone during the transporting loss happens and can achieve 25% a group. One loss will not influence the total reacclimatization.
15 males – 15 females
There was an opinion that the number of females should be larger, because for genus sequel 5 or 6 males would be enough. This suits for agricultural cattle, not for wild animals, as it can lead to the degeneration.
How to differ males from females in a herd?
Males have tags in their right ears, females – in their left ones. The Department specialists report, that now the herd has already divided into groups by their common interests.
Settlement
Nowadays, the bisons, as already was marked, live in the cage in the Lenskie Stolby National Nature Park . This place was chosen not by chance.
First, it is near the capital of the republic – in 125 km from Yakutsk . This means economy on the transporting of bisons, feeding and building materials, on passage of specialists, whose presence in the Park is very important.
Second, as the veterinary expertise showed, there had not ever been any outbreaks of epidemic. The place is far from farms and cattle, that is the main infection carrier.
Third, this place of location is not liable to highwater.
Forth, there are no wolves in the place of the Buotama-river. “Though wolves are the main enemies of young bisons,” says Wesley Earl Olson, the Elk Island National Park bisons specialist, the author of the book ‘Bison Portrait: Illustrated Instructions for Bisons Association'. “But wolves could not know that bison meat is tasty. So, in North Canada , where bisons were settled 20 years ago, wolves haven't still known. They prefer usual food.”
Bisonarium
Since April, 6 till May, 26 bisons had been kept in a less than 1 ha quarantine cage. Then they were placed in a 26.5 ha spring-summer cage. It is an open place with the lake. There is a watch-tower on the edge of the forest. By autumn the bisonarium's total area should grow to 70 ha . In august an autumn-winter cage building will be finished. It is pointed out with its high location.
By winter the so-called “khaltama” – covers with three walls that were luckily used for the reacclimatization of yaks – will be built. This building will cover bisons from severe Yakutian frost. The average temperature in December is 45 or 50 below zero.
“We suppose that, despite the frost, Yakutia with its pure nature is a suitable place of living for the forest bisons,” Wesley Earl Olson says. “Bisons' fat gives them high warm-isolation. Your winter is dry and snow, that a bison digs, looking for grass, is friable.”
The Lenskie Stolby National Nature Park workers had to prepare about 300 tons of hay in summer to live on bisons.
The Department specialists want to keep bisons in the Park till their first increase. This will happened in 3-4 years only. After that it will be able to say that bisons passed luckily the adaptation period.
Further
After adaptation finishes, part of bisons will stay in the cage, as the reserve and guarantee. 24 bisons will leave for Central Verkhoyanye in the top current of the Orto-Salaa-river.
Why Orto-Salaa? Rich pastures, agricultural poultry absence, suitable air inversion, soft climate…
Experts consider that in 10 years the number of forest bisons will grow to 150 heads.
“It's early to think about meat yet,” Vasily Tikhonov says. “May be, in 60 years will be. Our task now is to form the lifeable population.” |
