Mountain bison. Bison move to the Caucasian reserve How bison returned to the Caucasian reserve kubanovedenie

Strange as it may seem, Belarus, famous for its European bison, is only in fourth place. Most of these mighty animals are found in the Caucasus. And they have always been around: it is not for nothing that the famous Dombai translated from Karachai means simply "bison".

BEYOND DISAPPEARANCE ...

"Bison" - we are talking about an experienced person, a master, a specialist, a powerful authority figure. The sensitive language caught it for sure: as early as the 18th century, the dictionary of the Russian language talked about the bison, "which in its ferocity is not inferior to the fiercest animals: it is incomparably thicker and stronger than any cattle."

The most powerful and largest animal of land Europe previously roamed in abundance in the Dombai forests, and the highest mountain in this area is called Dombai-Yolgen, which means "killed bison". They named it as they did it! The few animals were included in the "Red Book", the caustic Faina Ranevskaya joked, and there are many of them in the "Book about tasty and healthy food". Alas, we have nothing to please the reader: the Red Book classifies the bison as vulnerable.

The mighty beast is out of reach for four-legged fellows, but, as the writer Georgy Alexandrov noted long ago, no one can treat animals as brutally as a man. The man put the bison on the brink of extinction, and even brought it beyond this line. And he - no, of course, other people - revived the bison and again released it into the forests and mountains. Just like a phoenix, a bison rose from oblivion.

UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE ROMANOVS ...

Like Belovezhskiy, the Caucasian bison is a relic, that is, practically a relic of the past. The very same past, when the wild hairy bull freely walked all over Europe - almost from the Atlantic to the Urals. But it was mercilessly eaten, and not so much because of the excellent taste - the bison tastes just not very good! - how much because of its luxurious size: the whole tribe was fed with one bison.

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

The bison nearly died out right at the end of the 1880s, but then the imperial family personally intervened in its bull's fate. Taking care of bison, Belovezhskaya Pushcha was transferred to the ownership of the royal court. And in the Caucasus, they organized the Grand Duke Kuban hunt - "in order to save bison there and arrange 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 the bison in the Kuban hunt - they spent it on fighting predators, kept the gamekeepers.

FORGET GEROSTRATES AND REVIVAL BISON ...

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

Bison killed in the hunt. Photo of the late 19th century. (photo archive of S.A. Trepeta)

An act of vandalism was committed by three Imeretian shepherds on Mount Alous in 1927. Three savagely destroyed bison were the last of the Caucasian Mohicans. Everything seems to be fine! - but no: only 13 years later, on June 29, 1940, 5 animals were unloaded at the Khadzhokh station in Adygea, which biological science calls bison.

In 2017, exactly 90 years have passed since the last Caucasian bison was exterminated. It happened in 1927, even though the Caucasian State Bison Reserve was created in 1924 - now the Caucasian State Natural Biosphere Reserve named after Kh.G. Shaposhnikov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Who are bison?

A large and strong bison among the Slavic peoples is a symbol of power, invincibility and independence, strength and prosperity. The bison is a beast from legends and tales, from ancient chronicles, miraculously surviving to this day. Bison is distinguished by constant alertness in the very sight, movements. There are no known cases of a bison attacking humans. Among animals, the bison has few enemies, even a bear never attacks this giant, only wolves occasionally hunt young individuals.

The bison very often lives in deciduous and mixed forests. For him, it is desirable that vast forests alternate with open areas. Bison does not like to be in swamps and high mountains. Adult animals consume up to 35 kg of green food per day, 30-50 liters of water per day.

Bison is the largest land mammal in Russia and is the only representative of wild bulls. On the territory of our country, bison are common in the Caucasus, where they live in three reserves - North Ossetian, Teberdinsky and, of course, in ours, Caucasian. Bison are also found in the center of the European part - in the Tver, Vladimir, Rostov and Vologda regions. The bison inhabited the Caucasus for a long time, but at the beginning of the 20th century, the Caucasian bison disappeared due to human fault.

The vicissitudes of fate of the Caucasian bison

A large number of Caucasian bison died after the end of the Caucasian War (1864) at the hands of immigrants who rushed to the foothills. “Animals are exterminated all year round,” wrote N.Ya.Dinnik. "Hunting laws have not been written for this fraternity."

A significant role in the preservation of the Caucasian bison at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries was played by the Grand Duke “Kuban Hunt”. Its territory has become the only refuge for bison. In 1888. The Grand Dukes Romanovs rented lands with the right to hunt from the Kuban Cossack army. Hunting for bison was prohibited throughout the entire territory of the Russian Empire, and the owner of the "Kuban Hunt" Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich Romanov had to take permission from the tsar to shoot bison. However, around them they exterminated the beast mercilessly. The position of the bison in Europe was not the best - it was completely exterminated. Only 48 individuals survived in parks and zoological gardens.

Bison - a symbol of the Caucasian reserve

Scientists of Russia were worried about the fate of the Caucasian bison, and the first of them to speak about this problem was Christopher Georgievich Shaposhnikov, a forester of the Belorechensky forestry, an excellent scientist who loves nature and his work. For the sake of saving the Caucasian bison, H.G. Shaposhnikov took measures to create the Caucasian reserve. In spite of the small staff, an active fight against poachers for the preservation of bison began, and yet their number was decreasing. If in 1924. of these animals there were 10-15 heads, then in 1927. the last Caucasian bison was killed. The final blow came from the civil war and the ensuing social catastrophe.

Shaposhnikov's fate is tragic, as is the fate of the Caucasian bison. He was repressed and illegally shot in 1938. But in the reserve, scientists have already drawn up plans to restore the population of the Caucasian bison.

Return of the forest giant

In 1940. work began on the selection and reproduction of animals in the bison parks of the reserve. The first animals were brought from the Askania-Nova reserve. They had a significant admixture of bison, they were crossed with purebred Caucasian-Belovezhskaya males, until the bison blood count was reduced to 1/16 - this is about 6%.

The problem of naturalization of bison in mountainous terrain was solved in 70-80. XX century. The result of colossal efforts and material costs was the creation of a reproductive independent population of a new subspecies of the Caucasian bison - the mountain bison - by all indicators closest to the aboriginal subspecies.

The modern bison of the Caucasian Reserve not only formed the largest population of bison in the world, descended from the largest number of founders, but also became the most peculiar population of bison.

According to the survey carried out in 2017, more than 1000 bison live in the Caucasian Reserve. This allows us to consider them as an independent subspecies.

Bison today

Nowadays, mountain bison occupy vast river valleys with the slopes of the surrounding ridges in the Caucasian Reserve. Here the relief is accessible to them, there is enough forage, the mountains abound with springs, streams and rivers. The mountain bison is developing new protected areas in the Krasnodar Territory, the Republics of Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia.

Bison is a living symbol of the Caucasian nature reserve

It is quite justified that the bison is a symbol of the Caucasian reserve, because it was originally even called "bison". The bison can also to some extent be called a symbol of the nature conservation movement to save rare endangered animals - and not only in the Caucasus, but also, for example, in Belarus, where they are also trying to preserve bison in the wild.

This forest giant deserves to be a symbol of the Western Caucasus.

The bison does not attack people, is not opposed to them, i.e. speaking in modern language - tolerant.

The bison does not eat meat - in accordance with the best vegetarian traditions.

In its care for the offspring, the bison is very similar to humans.

The bison is imposing, powerful and very strong, and only disappeared due to artificial, not natural, selection.

The symbolic representation of the bison on postcards and badges, as well as the photographs of these mighty animals, are certainly pleasing to the eye, but nothing beats the beauty of the beast in the wild. Alexander Nemtsev, a zoologist of the Caucasian Reserve, a disciple and follower of the work of the outstanding scientist and bison breeder S.G. Kalugin on the restoration of bison in the Caucasus, wrote: having monetary value ".

Employees of the Caucasian Reserve - state inspectors of the protection department and scientists over the 90-year period have been doing everything in their power to ensure that the living symbol of the Caucasian Reserve remains really alive , and it could be found in wildlife, and not only in the Red Book or on the pages of historical books.

How bison returned to the Caucasian nature reserve is a short history of the renewal of the once exterminated population of this large artiodactyl. In "Kubanovedeniya" for the 4th grade, it briefly tells about the fate of these animals, they say, in 1927, people managed to save this endangered species. In fact, the Caucasian bison (sometimes also called "dombai") was completely exterminated after the end of the 1817-1864 war and the annexation of the region to the Russian Empire. As you can see, the offensive imperial policy of Russia brought to their knees not only small nations, but also contributed to the destruction of animals. The dombays were exterminated both by the highlanders, forced to flee in the mountains and somehow feed themselves, and by the Russians and Cossack settlers from the "mainland."

In 1909, the Kuban Cossack army received a lot of land on lease, on which there was still a certain amount of Caucasian bison. High mental abilities and a complete absence of redneck thinking led to the fact that by 1927 only three animals were caught, and only one of the males survived for reproduction. Europeans were engaged in the problem of preserving bison in the Caucasus (and this is true!) - in Paris in 1923 there was even a congress dedicated to the preservation of this species.

The offspring of bison could only be obtained by crossing the remaining Caucasian male and the female of the Belovezhskaya species. In the reserve Askania Novaya, which was founded by the German dynasty of Anhalt-Köthensky, several hybrids were preserved. It was from this herd, as well as from one male (named Bodo), brought from Germany, that it was possible to continue the offspring, some of which were brought to the Caucasus by 1940.

How the herd survived the Great Patriotic War is a separate story. Zoologists and shepherds somehow managed to overtake bison into a secret gorge, and completely preserve them.

In the USSR, animals were cared for better than in the days of Tsarist Russia. Therefore, by the 60s, it was possible not only to return bison in a significant number to the Caucasian Reserve, but also to teach them to migrate at different times of the year in search of food from mountain meadows to lowlands. In fact, Soviet scientists managed to awaken natural instincts in animals.

How many bison are in the Caucasian Reserve today? The number at the moment is about 610 animals. The annual growth of the herd corresponds to 10%. Of course, these are the descendants of those hybrids that were created by German, Polish and Soviet scientists. According to some data, no more than 5-10% of the real Caucasian bison remained in them.

So, despite the fact that the bison returned to the Caucasian Reserve, these are absolutely not the animals that originally lived there. And our ancestors are to blame for their destruction.

Inhabiting the eastern and western parts of Eurasia, it is considered Caucasian. As a result of extermination by humans, as well as due to the reduction of habitats suitable for this type, the Caucasian bison disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Description of the Caucasian bison

Artiodactyls grow up to 330 cm. The weight of one individual can be one ton. Compared to the body, the beast has a small head, on which dark brown eyes and a large nose are located. The Caucasian bison has large horns that do not change throughout life. The peculiarity of the animals is a large hump, powerful body, short legs and a long tail.

The Caucasian bison has a bushy beard and chestnut fur. Thanks to the soft and fluffy coat, the animal is constantly warm and prevents body contamination. The forest giant has an excellent sense of smell, while the animal's hearing and sight are much worse. Females are significantly smaller than males. Animals constantly move tens of kilometers and can jump over obstacles. In quiet times, bison love to bask in the sun and brush their wool in dry ground.

The average lifespan of bison is 25 years.

The only enemy of the adult Caucasian bison is man.

Lifestyle of Caucasian bison

Animals are fast and powerful. Despite the great weight and the impression of clumsiness, cumbersomeness, sluggishness, the animals quickly accelerate and reach the enemy. Having reached the offender, the bison menacingly snort, butt, shake their heads, and their eyes can become bloodshot. They are not afraid of hedges, bushes and other obstacles.

As a rule, adults rest during the daytime, and graze in the fields in the mornings and evenings. Females live in groups (2-3 individuals), while males prefer life alone. In the autumn period, animals molt, as a result of which thick and long fur grows.

Vegetable food is the main food of the Caucasian bison. The diet of animals contains herbs, mushrooms, leaves. Animals also eat tree bark, shrubs, lichens and shoots. In winter, giants find food just as easily as in summer. They quickly dig up food with their horns or hooves.

Bison mating games

Every adult bison lives alone. By the end of the summer season, the male chooses the female from the group of animals. Further, the giant protects the selected herd from any dangers and intrusions, thereby trying to win the trust and respect of the chosen one. Sometimes several bison apply for a group of females, then competitions can take place - battles that determine the winner. This is a kind of presentation that helps to gain authority among females. At the same time, bison make frightening sounds.

The female bears the fetus for 9 months. Immediately after birth, the baby gets acquainted with the world around him and in an hour runs after his mother. Within 20 days, the newborn learns to feed independently, but the female feeds him with milk for up to five months.

For the staff of the Teberda Nature Reserve, winter is the time of counting its inhabitants, including such rare animals as mountain bison that almost disappeared in the 90s. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of local rangers, ecologists and scientists, the situation has changed and there are so many bison that even ordinary tourists can now meet them.

It is reliably known that until the beginning of the twentieth century, bison lived at the foot of Elbrus, as well as in the forests of Big Laba. Alas, in the 20s of the last century the bison disappeared from the North Caucasus. According to legend, the last bison were killed on Mount Alous, three years after the creation of the Caucasian Nature Reserve, says local historian and photographer Andrei Pinkin.

However, then it was decided to restore the population of rare animals. A year before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 13 bison from Belovezhskaya Pushcha, three steppe bison and one male Caucasian bison, which miraculously survived in the Hamburg zoo, were brought to the Kish cordon.

These animals became the founders of the modern population of mountain bison. They safely survived the war, and soon their offspring began to settle in other parts of the region. In the fall of 1968, the first 14 bison appeared in the Teberda Nature Reserve. By the beginning of the 90s, there were already 1,300 animals in the KCR, Adygea and Krasnodar Territory. Their phenotype was clearly different from the steppe and Bialowieza bison. The animals were perfectly adapted for life in the mountains.

But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the mountain bison population almost disappeared again. Poachers barbarously destroyed rare animals. In addition, breeding work practically stopped and bison began to degenerate: their offspring became weaker, the cubs died before reaching sexual maturity. As a result, fewer than 200 individuals remained in the entire North Caucasus.

During this period, mountain bison underwent an unexpected adaptation - they began to winter in hard-to-reach meadows. Dry alpine grass is almost always open on slopes and blows. These places are protected from predators and poachers by a belt with an almost insurmountable amount of snow. From cold weather, judging by observations, bison do not suffer at all.

In addition, six years ago, another 18 bison were brought to the territory of the reserve from the Moscow region and the Ryazan region. Since wintering in the mountains is a serious test for ungulates, it was decided to organize feeding stations for bison. We feed them with hay and compound feed. The animals quickly got used to it and even stopped being afraid of scientists and veterinarians who monitored them, ”Yuri Sarkisyan, deputy of the Teberda Museum, told the" RG "correspondent.

As a result, winter feeding of animals made it possible to ensure the successful adaptation of bison to the harsh conditions of the reserve, which had a positive effect on animal reproduction. Now 54 bison live in the vicinity of Teberda and Arkhyz. Many of them migrate outside the reserve. One can even say that mountain bison were born anew in the Caucasus - for the third time.

By the way

In December last year, 17 bison arrived from Sweden to Russia. First, they will have to undergo quarantine in the nursery of the Oksky Nature Reserve near Moscow. Here the animals will be divided into family groups and placed in spacious open-air cages: they are as close as possible in terms of habitat to wild nature, but at the same time they allow observing animals and carrying out the necessary veterinary procedures. After that, they will go to the Turmon Wildlife Refuge to form a new, free group - already the second on the territory of North Ossetia.