A group of musk oxen. Photos from open sources.
Aircraft accounting works
From July 25 to August 6, 2024, a working group of the Directorate of Biological Resources, Specially Protected Natural Territories and Natural Parks and scientists from the Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences carried out measures for aerial and visual recording of musk oxen numbers in the Anabar and Bulunsky districts of Yakutia.
In total, the working group performed 11 accounting flights, covered 6959 km with a 2.5 km accounting lane on both sides of the aircraft. The flights were conducted from the airport of the village of Saskylakh — 5 flights, and from the airport of the village of Tiksi — 6 flights.
According to Andrey Popov, the head of the working group, the use of aerovisual methods makes it possible to ensure high accuracy of estimates of the number and structure of herds. “The choice of flight areas was carried out taking into account the available data on the distribution and abundance of musk oxen, the noted concentrations of animals, as well as natural conditions: landscape and food supply,” he said.
Logistical capabilities, the availability of runways, weather conditions and flight safety were also taken into account when planning routes. “This approach guaranteed the most complete and representative coverage of potential musk ox habitats,” emphasized Andrey Leonidovich.
“During the registration routes, 378 groups of musk oxen with a total number of 3,372 heads, including 684 calves, were found. The number of animals in the groups ranged from 1 to 56 individuals. All the animals encountered were photographed to further determine their sex and age composition, with a total of 2,084 photographs taken.
Their positioning on the ground was also determined for the analysis of pasture distribution, a total of 284 points were recorded. All the data was entered into summary tables and recorded on GPS trackers and photographic equipment,” said the head of the group.
It should be noted that accounting work in the Allaykhovsky district was carried out in the spring and summer of 2023 and 2024 in order to determine the number and structure of the musk ox population. “In just two years of research, 1,712 km of route survey was completed, as a result of which 21 herds totaling 368 individuals were recorded.
What is the number of musk oxen
The musk ox. Photos from open sources.
The main method of searching for animals was ground surveys using snowmobiles and motorboats. At the same time, the width of the accounting lane was about 4 km, and at the stop points, thanks to the use of binoculars, the viewing radius reached about 6 km,” Popov added.
Desk processing of accounting materials, extrapolation of data and interpretation were performed by scientists of IBPC SB RAS. Based on the institute’s report, it can be concluded that the number of musk oxen in Anabarsky ulus is estimated at 5,838, Bulunsky – 969 and Allaikhovsky – 1,190 individuals.
“In total, the number of musk oxen in the three main habitats is estimated at 7,997 individuals. The share of calves in registered musk ox herds was 20.3%,” said Andrey Popov.
Summing up, the working group emphasized that the results of the accounting work confirm the stable condition of the musk ox population and its successful reproduction. The spatial distribution also showed the concentration of animals in the most favorable biotopes: low-lying pastures, river valleys and moderately moistened areas.
As the scientists explained, the uneven distribution and dependence of density on landscape and climatic factors emphasize the need for further monitoring of the condition of the species, especially in areas with low animal density.
To ensure stable growth of musk ox populations and long-term conservation of the species in the tundra zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), it is necessary to continue work on expanding the range and colonizing new areas of the tundra zone of Yakutia, namely, the formation of new musk ox populations in promising areas, maintaining genetic diversity and conducting regular population monitoring.
It should be noted that the work was carried out in accordance with the Action Plan of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for 2024-2026, approved by the order of the Ministry of Ecology, Nature Management and Forestry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and funded by revenues to the state budget of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) from “colored” environmental payments.
GBU RS(Ya)
