The populations of certain animals and birds, which man expels from their natural habitats, are sharply reduced. The fact is that many territories that until recently were animal habitats are actively occupied by people. Russia is a huge country, which still has virgin mountains and forests, where expelled animals and birds find their refuge, but their life there is becoming more difficult. That is why some species of animals and birds are considered rare and in need of protection.
What animals are considered endangered in Russia?
Bison. Unfortunately, these large-horned animals have undergone almost complete extermination. The bison is a wild bull and is currently the heaviest animal in Europe. Already from the end of the 18th century, bison could be seen only in the places intended for the royal hunting: about 600 individuals lived in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and about 500 in the Caucasus. Currently, the number of these bulls is no more than 3000 individuals. About half of them are wild, the rest are grown in reserves.
However, the artificial increase in the number of bison led to new problems: they had to be resettled somewhere, since these wild bulls needed huge forest tracts, where they could be isolated from any human influences on them. Recently, bison have been settled in completely new places for them - in Altai, in Kyrgyzstan, and part of the livestock is in special reserves (for example, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha) as a reserve genetic source. The bison is listed in the Red Book.
Amur tigers. These animals are currently on the verge of extinction, and man's hunt for them is to blame. The Amur tiger lives in the southeast of Russia, as well as along the banks of the Ussuri and Amur, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories. Currently, scientists are solving the issue of settling these predators throughout the Pleistocene Park in Yakutia. Amur tigers are listed in the Red Book.
What birds of Russia are considered endangered?
Far Eastern stork. This bird belongs to relict (endangered) species, and on the territory of Russia, the Far East is practically the only refuge for all relict bird species: this is a natural reserve for endangered animals. Currently, there are no more than 3,000 Far Eastern storks. These birds are listed in the Red Book.
Siberian Cranes. They are also called white cranes. These birds are listed not only in the Red Book of Russia, but also in the Red Book of the World Conservation Union. It is curious that in 2012, the Russian President visited an ornithological station in Vladivostok in order to take part in a project to restore the Siberian Crane population. The head of state flew a special motor hang-glider, which the birds mistook for the leader of the flock. Three flights were made, the purpose of which was to train the Siberian Cranes raised in the nursery in the route of flight from their nesting sites to the south of Uzbekistan.
