Caspian Tiger reintroduction project

[Nyers]

A second chance of djulbars. Who and how is implementing a unique project to revive the Turan tiger in Central Asia

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The Amur tiger. Photo: Svetlana Gorbatykh / WWF Russia

The Turanian tiger is one of those animals whose extinction is completely on human conscience. Back in the first half of the twentieth century, this giant tabby cat, once inhabiting the space from the Caucasus to Altai, was occasionally found in the most remote places of Central Asia. However, human activities - hunting, deforestation - led to the extinction of the tiger by the 1970s. And now, more than half a century later, the World Wildlife Fund and the government of Kazakhstan decided on an unparalleled project to restore the population of an extinct animal. Mediazona found out from the curator of the project who initiated it, why its Amur cousin was chosen for the reintroduction of Dzhulbars, and also found out where and under what conditions the Turanian tiger will get its second chance.

The program of reintroduction of the Turan tiger in its former habitat is primarily aimed at saving biological diversity and balance in nature. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been implementing it for several years in the Ili River Delta and the Southern Balkhash region. Grigory Mazmanyants, Director of the WWF Russia Representative Office (Central Asian Program), spoke in detail about the success of recreating the predator population.

When did the project start and who is its initiator?


The project began in 2006-2007 at the initiative of WWF representatives. In 2010, at the International Forum on Tiger Conservation on Earth in St. Petersburg, the government of Kazakhstan, represented by Prime Minister Karim Massimov, announced plans to implement the Program for the reintroduction of a tiger that disappeared in Kazakhstan, according to official data, in 1947.

Who and to what extent took over the financing of the project?

During Expo 2017 in Astana, an agreement was signed between WWF International, WWF Russia and the government of Kazakhstan on the joint implementation of this program. The Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of Kazakhstan and WWF Russia were recognized as authorized organizations for the program. The total budget of the program, including expenses of the state, WWF and other donors for the period 2018 - June 30, 2020, amounted to $ 2.5 million. By the end of the first stage, WWF plans to attract at least $ 4 million more, which together with state funds will amount to about $ 10 million.

Funding for the program comes from several sources, the main ones are the state of Kazakhstan and WWF, but there are also additional participants. Thus, assistance was provided by the UN Development Program, which donated radio stations, GPS-navigators, cars, office and other equipment. They also helped make a management plan for the first five years. Budget funding is spent on staff salaries and administration costs of the reserve, covering most of the costs of vehicles. WWF pays for the rest. In fact, WWF and the budget are financed on a parity basis.

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A Turanian tiger at the Berlin Zoo, 1899. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Amur and Turanian tigers are closely related, genetically almost identical subspecies. But the Turanian tiger lived in the floodplains of the rivers, why was the Amur tiger chosen for settlement - the largest of the existing subspecies of the tiger, for which "things are bad" itself?

It became possible to speak about the return of the tiger in view of the fact that deep genetic research was carried out, since the skins and other parts of Turanian tigers remained in museums. In the course of these studies, it turned out that P.t. altaica (Amur tiger) and P.t. vergata (Turanian tiger) are almost identical. That is why we are talking about reintroduction and not about introduction. Moreover, in modern taxonomy, after this study, which was carried out by a number of scientists, among them Carlos A. Driscoll, Nobuyuki Yamaguchi, Gila Kahila Bar-Gal, Alfred L. Roca, Shujin Luo, David W. Macdonald, Stephen J. O ' Brien, most of the tiger subspecies were abolished and only two were left - the island and the continental.

The bottom of the dried-up Aral Sea is one of the possible locations for the revival of tugai forests, the reintroduction of the tiger and the revitalization of the life of the region as a whole. Has this option been considered? What locations were still considered and why were they abandoned?

Initially, the entire area where the Turanian tiger lived was investigated. As a result, three places were identified where it is theoretically possible to restore the population. The first place, the most suitable, is tugai in Tajikistan - the Tigrovaya Balka nature reserve. The same reserve in which the last Turanian tiger died in the 70s of the last century. The disadvantage of this place is that the area of the reserve is only about 100 thousand hectares. There are fields on all sides, the area is inhabited. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about any serious population in such a small area. Another interesting place is located in the Aral region. There are wonderful tugai, but they are still very young and it will take about 15 years before they become normal and enough animals will breed there. The most promising place is in the delta of the Ili River and the South Balkhash region.

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TRANS-Balkhash area with the drone. photo: wwf russia

There are three large reserves in the delta and on the southern shore of Lake Balkhash. Two of them, with an area of about half a million hectares, are the Pribalkhashsky nature reserve, the Karoysky reserve and the third, the Lepsinsky reserve. The area was studied for reintroduction and a model for the maximum tiger population was created. According to this model, in the area of the Pribalkhash and Karoisky reserves in the Ili river delta, there may be about 90-94 individuals of tigers, in the remaining territory of the Karoisky reserve on the shore of Lake Balkhash and in the Lepsinsky reserve for 20-25 individuals. Thus, we are talking about a population of about 150 tigers, which, in theory, can live there. The total area we are talking about is slightly more than a million hectares.

And if we talk about the time frame of the program?

The basic program is designed for at least 15 years, in fact, for a much longer period. Of these 15, the first 5-6 years will be spent on the restoration of the ecosystem, then the bringing of the first tigers, this is approximately the next 6-7 years, and then monitoring the population as it recovers and establishes itself on this territory.

The Ile-Balkhash Natural Reserve, a special nature protection zone in the area of Lake Balkhash, was created in 2018. This is a huge territory, what features does it have in terms of tiger reintroduction?


Initially, the Ile-Balkhash reserve was planned to be created in the central part of the Ili river delta, and not only in the South Balkhash region. But on the territory of the delta, agricultural land is partially leased out to peasant farms. Therefore, for the reserve, the territory was chosen mainly in the Karoi nature reserve. The reserve was created on a total area of 415 thousand hectares. From the point of view of a tiger, the South Balkhash region is not the best zone, because, despite the fact that part of the territory is covered with a saxaul forest, there are also large open areas. Lands more suitable for the tiger - reeds, forest and places where wild boars and roe deer are found - are located directly along Balkhash.

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Protected areas (Balkhash and Karoyskiy reserve) in the ili river Delta and southern Balkhash. The territory of the proposed tiger settlement is marked with a red outline, and the "Kapchagai-Balkhash Ecological Corridor"is shaded. Photo: WWF Russia

At the same time, the advantage of the Southern Balkhash region is the almost complete absence of the local population, it is much easier to protect it, the appearance of any person there will immediately raise a reasonable question: "What are you doing here?" In addition, we are talking about huge territories of 150-200 thousand hectares, where a tiger can potentially live. Our global task is to increase the number of wild boar and roe deer and return here the Bukhara deer, which was exterminated in 1910. Also in 2018, the "Kapchagai-Balkhash Ecological Corridor" was created, along which Goitered gazelles can migrate from the Altyn-Emel National Park to the reserve.

“In 1854 I was talking in Orenburg with a young tall soldier, whose left arm was squeezed by a tiger, so that it had to be taken off to the shoulder; however, the brave huntsman managed to kill the tiger. He proudly walked through the streets of Orenburg with a tiger skin on his right shoulder. Graf Perovsky gave him 50 rubles for a beautiful skin.


In the summer of the same year, the Bashkir detachment, which was delivering provisions on its numerous carts from Orsk to the new Kazaly fortification on the Syr Darya, was sent to mow grass and young reeds to the left bank of the Yaksart under the command of an army major. While the Bashkirs, stretched out in long rows, were engaged in mowing, the major walked with a cigar in his mouth along the edge of the reed thickets, watching the mowers. Then, unexpectedly, a tiger rushed at him from the reeds, crushed him and was about to drag him away, but the Bashkirs with braids hurried to the cries of the unfortunate man, shouting furiously. Frightened, the tiger abandoned its prey and hid in the reeds. The unfortunate major was taken to the infirmary, where he died on the same day. "

Blaramberg, Ivan Fedorovich. "Memories", Science, Main edition of oriental literature, 1978.

What was WWF's money spent on in the first place?


We built the first ranger center, designed for nine places, with insulated rooms, a kitchen, warehouses, a shower and toilet, a radio communication tower, and a solar station. Ranger Center Kors is located at the intersection of all paths in all directions on the territory of the reserve. The second was the Karamergen Ranger Center for six places with the same conditions, a solar-wind station, a 10-meter radio tower and a fire station, as well as a huge 12-meter observation deck. Karamergen was built using a unique technology: this is a yurt made of special foam, printed on a 3D printer. The third center - Nauryzbay - is also made using 3D technology. It is semi-detached and designed for employees who live there permanently with their families. We built a mini-hotel, a bathhouse, a warehouse, a fire station and, most importantly, a greenhouse for 18 thousand seedlings for the restoration of tugai forests at the Karoi cordon. WWF also finances trainings, field meals, insurance for inspectors, and fuel and lubricants if necessary. In addition, three boats, one ship, two snowmobiles, and a truck were purchased. The staff of the reserve are provided with satellite communications, a program of SMART patrolling has been introduced.

What other animals are planned to be settled on the reservation to create it? Will the population of Bukhara deer be recreated, which in themselves are Red Data Book animals?


We are engaged in the reintroduction of Bukhara deer. At the moment, 21 animals are in the wild. Now we are preparing for the next year - we are catching deer in the Karachingil hunting farm. From there we transport the reindeer to the reserve and release them into a 10 hectare enclosure, where they spend several months, during which new social ties are formed, since initially individuals are taken from different groups. In August-September, when the cubs have already been born, we release them. Selectively, special satellite collars are hung on some deer in order to be able to track what happens to them after leaving the enclosure.

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Bukhara deer. Photo: WWF Russia


In addition, it is necessary to increase the number of wild boars, since 65% of the tiger's diet will be this animal. Ideally, by 2024, we want to increase the number of wild boars to no less than 25 individuals per 1000 ha in areas suitable for tiger habitation. To do this, every year a huge amount of feed is purchased for them, primarily corn. Animals are counted using an unmanned aerial vehicle with a thermal imager. Last year, we were engaged in counting gazelles, and in the summer and autumn of 2020, we began to install special drinkers for them in places where old agricultural wells have been preserved; this project is supported by Ferrero Kazakhstan with the Kinder brand.

Will the instability of the Ili runoff and fluctuations in the Balkhash level affect the implementation of the program?


Yes, one of the key issues for the program is water availability. 80% of all water supply to Lake Balkhash comes from one river - Ili, and 70% of the entire catchment area of Ili is located in China. The countries have not yet agreed on how much water China should pass towards Kazakhstan. At the same time, glaciers in China and Kazakhstan are melting, and if there is more water now, then it is quite obvious that in the future its amount will decrease. It is necessary that China and Kazakhstan reach some kind of agreement on this issue, and we expect that the appearance of a tiger in the region will influence this process. In addition, one of the largest reservoirs in Kazakhstan, Kapchagai, is located on the Ili River. Planned winter releases flood the delta with water, thus preventing wild boars from breaking through the ice; in summer, the opposite situation occurs - water discharge decreases and animals suffer from drought. WWF is currently conducting a large project with the Institute of Geography and Water Safety of Kazakhstan to change the hydrological regime of the Kapchagai reservoir.

The main conflict between man and tiger is livestock. It is known that one of the main reasons for the disappearance of the tiger was the extermination by hunters. How do local residents feel about the project?


Without the support of local residents, our prospects are minimal. We are now giving them grants to support environmentally friendly entrepreneurship, ranging from growing agricultural products, sewing clothes and catering, to the hotel business and a tire station. The fact is that 40% of the local population have the only possible income in this area - poaching. Accordingly, in order to avoid this, it is necessary to give the opportunity to earn money elsewhere, and therefore there is economic support. As part of community support, WWF is helping residents grow vegetables on their own households, for example, by providing planting material and irrigation systems.

In 2020, among other things, in connection with the COVID-19 epidemics, the fund purchased oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters, and medical masks for the Karoi hospital.

We are conducting an active information campaign. Television broadcasts in Kazakh about our plans to settle the tiger. Magazines, newspapers, booklets with news about the project are published. A special school module for lessons about tigers was developed. Various joint events are held, regular meetings with residents of the villages around the Ile-Balkhash reserve, where representatives of the reserve and WWF talk about the prospects. Our global task is to make sure that people support us. Of course, many perceive the project with apprehension. We try to make it clear that the appearance of the tiger is beneficial to the local residents. First, the wolves will leave, from which the local cattle are now suffering. WWF guarantees payment for each ram slaughtered by a tiger, but for an animal that has suffered from a wolf, no one gives anything today. Secondly, the tiger will attract tourists, which means additional income for local residents. We are confident that thanks to all this work, by 2024, when the first tiger appears here, more than half of the population will be on our side.

Are there any successful analogues of such work in the world? Can the reintroduction of the leopard be considered successful in the Caucasus?


Russia has sustainable tiger projects in the Amur Oblast and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. However, when we talk about the return of a tiger to the territory after 70 years of absence, there are no analogues of such work in the world. There are a number of reintroductions of felines, such as the cougar in the United States or the leopard in the Caucasus. The leopard reintroduction program in the Caucasus is still moving in the right direction, but there are also difficulties there. From my point of view, the success of the program can be clearly stated when the first kittens are born in the wild. Until that happened.

It is known that the tiger is quite gluttonous, how many tigers are initially calculated?


The tiger eats about 60 animals a year. According to historical data for the area, the diet of the tiger consisted of 65% wild boar and roe deer and 25% deer. The remaining 10% are gazelles, kulans, saiga. All three of these species were in large numbers, but not quite in the area where the tiger prefers to live, but closer to the desert. Some of them come to the range of the tiger, today we can observe, for example, gazelles in the area of reeds.

From a technical point of view, which tigers will be selected for the program - from nature or from captivity (zoos, wildlife reserves)? How will each individual be tracked?


Tigers from captivity or zoos are not even discussed, they are potentially conflicting, because they are used to a person and will go to him. These animals know that man is a source of food. Thus, we are talking about tigers from the wild, as well as "conditionally conflict" or those that were sick - for example, a tiger injured a paw, was removed from its habitat and placed for overexposure in a rehabilitation center. Wild tigers are not the easiest political decision between Kazakhstan and Russia, because every tiger in the wild is now registered. On the other hand, the tigers released in the Amur and Jewish Autonomous Regions were taken just from the rehabilitation. And at the moment they are successfully forming a new population.

“- Are there dzhulbars here? I asked the driver.


- No, they are not here; they happen in the fall, - answered the driver.

I have listened to many stories of Mr. Kosarev about how the Kyrgyz and soldiers catch tigers here. They put some carrion in a certain place and surround it with guns, to the triggers of which twine is pulled, so that no matter which side the tiger appears from, he receives volleys from several guns. But the commandant said that tigers sometimes get away from this danger. "

Pashino, Peter Ivanovich. “Turkestan Territory in 1866: Travel Notes of P.I. Pashino "

For tracking, a satellite collar will be hung on each individual, and the movement of tigers will be constantly monitored by a special group that was trained in the Far East and India. The team will include an immobilizer, veterinarian, and others. Of course, the brought tigers will first be placed in an aviary, this is a veterinary overexposure issue that applies to any animals, after which a "soft release" will be carried out, as in the case of deer. "Soft release" means that we simply open the enclosure from the back and let the animal gradually come out on its own.

Will the tiger settlement area be somehow fenced off?


It is very difficult and very expensive to fence a piece of land of almost 350 thousand hectares so that the tiger cannot overcome it. This question was raised, but WWF-Russia does not have such resources. If Kazakhstan deems it necessary, then theoretically it is possible.

“Despite the fact that in the dense reeds, often reaching a height of 20 feet, there were many wild boars, which the tigers hunted, they nevertheless got into the habit of dragging cows and bulls from the Kyrgyz, even attacking people, but rarely during the day. During the years mentioned, our soldiers killed many tigers, and they gradually began to disappear from the lower reaches of the Jaxartes. At first, the soldiers of the Perovsky fortification tried to drive the tigers out of the reeds on the banks of the Karaozek with rattles, but since accidents occurred more than once, they began to set traps on the tigers.


In a certain place, not far from the Perovsky fortification, the soldiers drove into the ground two pairs of strong stakes crosswise so that they got a kind of goats; a soldier's gun with a bayonet was placed horizontally on these goats, a strong cord was tied to the trigger, which stretched along the barrel and near the muzzle hole, in the place where the bayonet forms an angle with the gun, dropped down. A large piece of raw meat was tied to the end of the cord, which fell against the muzzle hole, then the hammer was cocked. The tiger, attracted during the night hunting by the smell of meat, approached the gun, grabbed the meat with his teeth, and then a shot rang out, which killed or seriously wounded the animal. Then the hunters looked for him on the trail of blood and usually found the tiger already dead or badly wounded, most often in a dry irrigation canal. "

Blaramberg, Ivan Fedorovich. "Memories", Science, Main edition of oriental literature, 1978.

Does the project use the services of activists and volunteers?


Activists and volunteers, of course, are still being employed at a professional level, and we expect to increase their number. There are no questions with volunteers in the cities, speaking about volunteers in the reserve, it is worth noting that it is very far from places of concentration of people - from Almaty at least 450 km to the Kors Ranger Center. We had several groups, including from Russia, who were ready to go to help, but the question immediately arises - what exactly is help? We need people to plant trees in the spring and fall, and these are not the best seasons for volunteers. The conditions are very difficult: bringing, taking away, placing a large number of people on the ground for any significant period of time is quite problematic. In the summertime, volunteers' help could be needed in the aviary. We plan to attract those who wish next year - one volunteer and one permanent employee to feed the reindeer. But these are single tasks. We do not yet have mass, group tasks other than landings. In today's conditions, we also cannot involve volunteers in anti-poaching work, although there are student nature conservation teams in Russia that are involved in such work. Unfortunately, there is no such experience in Kazakhstan.

Natalia Nikitina

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