Caucasian bison description. Bison are moving to the Caucasus Nature Reserve. Bison habitat

In our “civilized” age, not a single more or less large animal is able to survive in nature without certain protective measures. They will either simply kill it, or they will cut down the forests, plow up the forest clearings, poison the water - in a word, they will spoil the places where it lives and the animal itself will die out. People have repeatedly learned from their bitter experience that all nature, including animals, must be treated with care!

People have long understood that the inhabitants of Africa could not starve, but prosper at the expense of tourists eager to see pristine landscapes with their inhabitants - elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions and other wild animals, but not endless coffee plantations and skinny cows, completely unsuited to living and feeding in a hot climate. The American prairies could feed the whole world with bison meat, but after the extermination of millions of bison herds, deserts formed in place of the prairies and now you can only admire sandstorms and tumbleweeds disappearing into the deserted distances. There are many such examples. But you can count on one hand the lucky cases when, almost at the last minute, it was possible to save a species from extinction. An example of this is the same bison, which, thanks to enormous efforts, was nevertheless preserved. The current population of tens of thousands of these wild American bulls dates back to 541 bison rescued from death in 1889.

With bison, which have never been as numerous as bison, the story is even sadder, but also with a good ending. The history of the death and revival of bison is very instructive. These huge animals were hunted, but for the common people the bison served not only as an object of hunting. This powerful and beautiful animal personified the forces of nature, had a traditional cult significance, and was worshiped as one of the symbols of the native land. Since ancient times, the bison was considered the personification of perseverance, perseverance and courage. This animal inspired fear and respect in people and they dubbed it the King of the Bulls. But the temptation to defeat the Tsar and get valuable prey that could feed an entire tribe for a month spurred the hunt for bison.

Back in the Middle Ages, there were quite a lot of bison throughout Europe, but due to excessive hunting, as well as the destruction of forests and drainage of swamps, the range of the bison gradually narrowed.

In most countries of Western Europe, bison were exterminated by the 6th century AD; in the British Isles and Spain, bison disappeared in the first centuries AD. In France, the last bison was hunted at the beginning of the 6th century. In 1762, the last bison was killed in Romania (by the way, the emblem of this state, apparently as a memory of past wealth, is still the image of a bison’s head). In 1793, a certain Dieter Schmetterling hunted the last bison in Saxony. In the Baltics, the last bison was killed in 1755, in Romania - in 1762, in Germany - in 1793. Only in Poland and Russia did bison remain significantly longer, but even here, due to the very high number of deer in the Belovezhskaya forests, protected for centuries, the amount of natural food decreased sharply and the rate of forest restoration decreased.

By the beginning of the twentieth century. The bison has survived only in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the Caucasus. In Belovezhskaya Pushcha in 1914, there were 727 bison; in 1915, during hostilities, most of them were exterminated. In the Caucasus in 1910, there were 500 - 600 bison. By 1924, the time of the organization of the Caucasian Nature Reserve, only 5-10 animals had survived.

World War I was the reason first for a sharp decline in the number of bison herds in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, and then for its complete destruction. Written sources of that time convey tragic information to us in a sparse form. The last free-living bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was shot in 1919 by Bertolomeus Shpakovich, who was a forester in Pushcha when it belonged to Russia. His hand did not tremble and his conscience did not speak to him, even though the duty of his previous service obliged him to protect these animals. This is how the last free Belovezhsk bison died.

Caucasian mountain bison - Dombai - lived a little longer in the wild. After the revolution, no one guarded the royal lands. Shepherds, deserters, and soldiers began to kill the rarest animals with a clear conscience. No one explained to these people how precious Dombai is for science and for all humanity. They thought that the animals were saved only for the king, so that he could shoot at them to escape boredom. By 1927, the last Caucasian bison were killed. This is where the story of purebred Dombai ends.

Only man is to blame for the disappearance of the bison in the wild. Poaching, destruction of habitats (cutting down and burning forests, plowing land, grazing livestock in bison habitats), unlimited shooting of animals during periods of wars, civil unrest and revolutions - all this together led to the fact that by 1927 there were free-living bison were completely exterminated.

Caucasian-Belovezhsky bison did not exist in nature until the beginning of the twentieth century. They are descendants of the only representative of the exterminated Caucasian subspecies, nicknamed Caucasus, and Belovezhskaya females. The three-month-old calf Caucasus was captured on the territory of the Kuban Grand Duke's Hunt in May 1907 and transported to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The following year, he was presented by the Russian Emperor Nicholas II to the German Hagenbeck and placed in his menagerie in Hamburg. The Caucasus lived there until 1920 and left offspring - three bulls and two heifers. At the age of 13, he was transferred to the Frankfurt am Main Zoo, where two more females were born from him. On February 26, 1926, the Caucasus fell, and with it the Caucasian subspecies of bison disappeared.

Scientists began to breed descendants of the Caucasus, trying to obtain animals in which the characteristics of the extinct subspecies would predominate, but the calves were born larger than the Belovezhskaya bison and, even more so, the Caucasian bison. They had dark hair and withers with a red color, and from the Caucasus the calves inherited curly hair on the front of the body.

In the 30s of the twentieth century, Soviet zoologists B.K. Fortunatov, I.S. Bashkirov, M.A. Zablotsky and others hatched the idea of returning the bison to the Caucasus Nature Reserve, specially created for the preservation of this species. They proposed populating empty forests with hybrid bison, because there were very few purebred bison. In 1940, five hybrids were brought (1 male and 4 females). In order to displace the mixed “blood” of the bison, it was planned to cross hybrids with Caucasian-Belovezhsky bison. This became possible only in the post-war period. The goal of the work was to obtain animals that were externally similar to the bison. From 1948 to 1957, 15 Caucasian-Belovezhsky bulls were brought to the Caucasian Nature Reserve, and at the same time they shot animals that were more similar in appearance to bison. The result was a special form of mountain bison. These animals were called “purebred”. In appearance, in character, in behavior, in habitat, and in the spatial structure of herds, mountain bison are very similar to the extinct Caucasian bison. Currently, mountain bison, with a total number of more than 1000 animals, inhabit the foothills of the Caucasus Nature Reserve. This is the largest free population of bison in the world!

And in the Aviary Complex of the Caucasian Nature Reserve lives the purebred bison Muar. 10 years ago he came from the Central Bison Nursery of the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve. Muar is a prominent representative of the Caucasian-Belovezhsky line of bison breeding. He is a descendant of the Caucasus and inherited from his famous ancestor the curly hair on his face, a wonderful tuft on his tail, royal posture, power and absolute equanimity. And from his father Shponti, a “purebred German”, brought to the nursery from the zoo in the city of Springe in 2000, - a unique look, attentive, searching and stern at the same time, as if saying: “I’m in charge here, I’m not to be trifled with!” Mother, Mugdalena, gave Muar exceptional charm, goodwill and rare photogenicity. Our bison has a Nordic character, but at the same time, he is quite curious, he is interested in all innovations, including new neighbors. He strictly monitors his toys - huge branches that he personally gnawed, and does not allow them to be removed from the enclosure. Seeing that people are encroaching on what is most sacred, Muar gets up and slowly follows towards the violators. Naturally, they quickly leave the enclosure, thinking that the bison will return to its old resting place, and they will continue to work. But it was not there! The wise, experienced Moire, having checked the integrity of his personal belongings, settles down to rest next to them, having previously cast a look full of reproach and distrust towards the kidnappers, showing, once again, who is boss.

Many visitors to the Aviary complex come to see our handsome Muar, despite the fact that he is not eager to communicate and does not want to pose. The only thing that can attract Moir's attention and make him come up is a bucket of carrots and apples. He will never refuse such a treat. And of course, just like all the other inhabitants of the Aviary complex, Muar clearly knows the feeding time and approaches his feeder at this time. At 6.00 he is already on duty near the feeder, waiting for the prescribed treat, but during the evening feeding, the bison approaches the feeder only when he sees the approaching wheelbarrow with food.

This is him, our Muar - the king of the bulls, the largest animal in Europe, part of the enormous natural diversity of planet Earth, a descendant of the bison that were practically destroyed by man and miraculously returned to nature.

I would like to end this story with the words of the famous naturalist writer, candidate of biological sciences, L.L. Semago: “Admiring the beauty and wisdom of nature, be polite to its creatures and always remember - you are the youngest in this world, a man!”

Belarus, famous for its European bison, is, oddly enough, only in fourth place. Most of these powerful beasts are found in the Caucasus. And they have always been found: it’s not for nothing that the famous Dombay, translated from Karachay, simply means “bison.”

BEYOND EXTINCTION...

“Bison” - we are talking about an experienced person, a master, a specialist, a powerful authority figure. A sensitive language caught it exactly: back in the 18th century, the Russian language dictionary spoke about the bison, “which in its ferocity is not inferior to the most fierce animals: it is incomparably thicker and stronger than any cattle.”

The most powerful and largest animal of land Europe used to roam in abundance in the Dombay forests, and the highest mountain in this area is called Dombay-Yolgen, which translated means “killed bison.” They called it what they croaked! Animals, which are few in number, were included in the “Red Book,” joked the caustic Faina Ranevskaya, and those that are numerous were included in the “Book of Tasty and Healthy Food.” Alas, we have nothing to please the reader: the “Red Book” classifies the bison as vulnerable.

A powerful beast is beyond the reach of its four-legged brothers, but, as the writer Georgy Alexandrov noted long ago, no one can treat animals as brutally as humans. Man has brought the bison to the brink of extinction, and even brought it beyond this brink. And he - no, of course, other people - revived the bison and again released it into the forests and mountains. Just like the phoenix bird, the bison rose from oblivion.

UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE ROMANOVS...

Like the Belovezhsky bison, the Caucasian bison is a relic, that is, practically a relic of the past. That very past, when the wild shaggy bull roamed freely throughout Europe - almost from the Atlantic to the Urals itself. But it was mercilessly eaten, and not so much because of its excellent taste - bison just doesn’t taste very good! - because of its luxurious size: one bison fed a whole tribe.

It cannot be said that they did not encroach on the Caucasian. But this is exactly the case when the war turned out to be a mother: until 1864, the Caucasian population had no time to hunt. Then peace came, and an intensive attack on nature began - with all the ensuing consequences for nature.

The bison almost became extinct right at the end of the 80s of the 19th century, but then the imperial family personally intervened in its fate. To take care of the bison, Belovezhskaya Pushcha was transferred to the ownership of the royal court. And in the Caucasus they organized the Grand Ducal Kuban Hunt - “in order to save bison there and organize a proper hunt,” as they wrote in the document. What is allowed to Jupiter is inaccessible to mere mortals: even the Grand Duke, that is, a relative of the emperor, took special permission to shoot bison. They took care of bison in the Kuban hunt - they spent money on fighting predators and kept rangers.

FORGET THE HEROstratus AND REVIVE THE BISON...

On February 9, 1921, a single well-aimed shot secured the Polish forester Bartholomew Shpakovich a place in history on a par with Herostratus and Nero. This shot ended the life of the last bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Unlike Shpakovich, the names of the Caucasian herostrati did not go down in history.

A bison killed during a hunt. Photo from the end of the 19th century. (photo archive of S.A. Trepet)

Three Imeretian shepherds committed an act of vandalism on Mount Alous in 1927. Three barbarously destroyed bison turned out to be the last of the Caucasian Mohicans. Everything seems to be finite! - but no: just 13 years later, on June 29, 1940, 5 animals, which biological science calls bison, were unloaded at the Khadzhokh station in Adygea.

We continue the series of photo essays about large animals of the Caucasus Nature Reserve.

Just in case, let me clarify that here I am primarily describing my own observations from meeting animals; I do not pretend to be scientifically complete; I may miss some important biological fact. I recommend that those interested study the subject in more detail in the relevant literature.

All photos are mine, or those of my companion Elena.

Essay two. Bison.

Since we don’t have lions (and the leopard has long been exterminated), the niche of “king of beasts” can rightfully be given to the bison. This is the largest animal found in our region (and throughout Europe).

There are about 700 bison in the entire reserve. They live in several herds of 50-100 bison each.
It is worth mentioning that the original inhabitant of these places, the Caucasian bison, was exterminated in 1927, and it was necessary to restore the bison in the reserve, a representative of a very close subspecies, which perfectly replaced the original one, easily adapting to life in mountain conditions.

Every August, the reserve keeps a bison count. In the reserve, bison live in large herds in the alpine meadows in the summer. There are few places where such herds gather; they can all be listed from memory. So it's easy to take them into account. The main thing is to choose the time and weather.

Summer grazing areas are also confined to artificial salt licks. Since natural sources of salt (for example, mineral water sources) are located far below, near civilization and human habitation, the local animals would be in trouble without the supply of salt by the reserve’s workers. Typically, bricks of highly compressed table salt (so that it does not quickly dissolve in the rain) are dropped from helicopters or, more often, brought on horseback to certain places on ridges and slopes.

Here is one of such places. They are easily recognized by their lifeless patch in the middle of a green meadow. Because of the salt, the grass stops growing, and these salt licks are trampled down to the ground by the hooves, they are so popular among animals. Even birds sometimes come :)

The rest of the year, bison stay in small groups in the forest, where it is not easy to count them (or even just see them). And on hot, clear summer days they sometimes descend into the forest shade to go out to pasture in the evening.

In the forest, bison alone, in pairs or small groups are about as shy as chamois. They can look at you for 5-6 seconds, then run away wherever it is convenient for them, even as the branches crack.

The forest where bison live is very beautiful. Undergrowth and thickets are practically absent. A very colorful fir forest with the smell of mushrooms and pine needles. The rarity of the undergrowth is a consequence of the life of bison or the cause - I do not know, but I always recognize these bison corners.

By the way, in such forests, especially on the slopes, bison make very good paths where it is good for humans to walk. Except that it can be a bit dirty near streams. Their hooves don't care, but our boots are drowning in the slush with their laces.

In the summer, when bison graze in the meadows, their behavior is slightly different from that in the forest. When they gather in large herds, they become less timid, although they are cautious. Even having noticed a person, they do not immediately run away; first, several bison will begin to look at you carefully, then those who were resting will get to their feet.

Those animals that grazed further away slowly return to the main group, and only then, when the older females of the herd give an unspoken order to retreat, the entire herd magically gathers together and a large school behind the main female runs away towards the nearest forest, where they can easily hide.

Sometimes the herd does not immediately hide in the forest, but stops several hundred meters from the place where it was frightened off and takes an observation position. If the threat persists, the herd resumes its escape after a break.

Summarizing the above, I note that the photographer has from one to five minutes on average to photograph a herd of bison in the meadows.

Sometimes solitary males are found separately from the herd; it is more difficult to get close to them, but if you follow a number of rules for secretly approaching the animal (I will talk about them in one of the following articles), then the photographer will have a few seconds in the photo before the bison runs away.

P.S. And here’s another thing: bison leave behind these heaps, reminiscent of cow dung. This can be quite puzzling to a non-specialist, since cows in those places have nowhere to come from :)

The bison population has been counted in the Caucasus Nature Reserve. According to the latest data, the number of these animals has increased to 730 animals. Reserve staff believe that during the summer count, up to 25 percent of individuals remain uncounted. These animals do not participate in reproduction and migrate to forest areas. In addition, experts have noted that due to shifting climatic seasons, the mating season for bison is shortening. For this reason, in 2012, specialists were unable to conduct a full census of the animals; according to estimates in 2011, there were 236 bison in the Caucasus Nature Reserve, and in 2012, employees of the natural park managed to count only 470 individuals.

on this topic

One of the new numerous groups of bison was spotted on the Aspidny Ridge; presumably, the animals could have lived there since 2008. And only this summer it was possible to establish that the group’s population exceeds 160 individuals. The growth here is 18-20 percent per year, with the average for the entire territory of the reserve being 10-11 percent.

Estimates of bison numbers are traditionally carried out during the rutting season, when animals live in large groups. This year, reserve specialists held it from July 26 to August 6. However, biologists will receive more complete data only after the winter route census of animals.

It is known that the bison living on the territory of the Caucasus Nature Reserve was almost completely exterminated by the end of the 18th century. In pre-revolutionary Russia, there were attempts to preserve the population of these animals, but the First World War and the Civil War led to the complete destruction of bison in the country's forests.

What are we doing for the bison?

At the initiative of WWF Russia, a Strategy for the Conservation of Bison in Russia was developed in the late 1990s. The strategy provided for the creation of several large groups of animals of 500–1000 individuals each with the restoration of the natural population structure and identified priority areas for reintroduction, which included the Caucasus.

In 2009, WWF Russia began practical actions to restore natural bison populations in the North Caucasus. In 2011, JSC North Caucasus Resorts and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) entered into an agreement on cooperation in the field of nature conservation in the North Caucasus. This agreement also made it possible to import and release bison in 2012 and 2013. Coverage of bison release events attracted international attention to the problem of restoring their population.

Difficult wintering conditions and the small number of Arkhyz bison group, for the conservation of which the fate of each animal is of particular importance, required biotechnical measures related to feeding animals in winter. Members of the WWF Club “Golden Panda” and LLC “Center-Soya” provided enormous assistance in this regard. The efficiency of animal reproduction depends on their physiological state, so feeding bison in winter contributed to the rapid growth of the group.

During this time, 46 bison were brought to the region from Russian nurseries. Currently, there are three groups of purebred bison in the Caucasus. Two live on the territory of North Ossetia: in the Tseysky and Turmonsky reserves, the third - in the Arkhyzsky section of the Teberda Nature Reserve in Karachay-Cherkessia.

Thus, the total number of purebred bison in the North Caucasus, thanks to measures taken to preserve existing groups, reaches 130 individuals.