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 The following conservation initiatives
for Russian zapovedniks (nature reserves) have been selected
based on their feasibility, the trustworthiness of the
people who will implement them, and their importance in
conservation, capacity building, and promoting awareness in
Russia's protected areas system. A little goes a long way
towards conservation in Russia, and your tax-deductible
donation will help guarantee that Russian zapovedniks
continue to thrive.
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TOP CONSERVATION PICKS
(click on image for enlargement)
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© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
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Bring the Saiga Antelope Back from the Brink!
The hump-nosed saiga
antelope is approaching extinction in the steppes of Russia’s
Kalmykia and Central Asia (primarily Kazakhstan). Saiga horns,
sported by males, are coveted for their
healing properties in Chinese medicine. As a result, poachers
have wiped out the majority of males in four separate saiga populations,
skewing the sex ratio and causing numbers to decline even further.
Demand for saiga meat at local markets also encourages people
in poor rural areas to poach female animals. Saiga numbers have
reached a critical low – there are approximately 40,000
animals remaining, down from nearly two million at the middle
of the 20th century. A saiga breeding center in Kalmykia, created
with funding from the Man and the Biosphere Program and small
donations from the Munich Zoological Society, Denver Zoological
Society, and Large Herbivore Initiative, works to boost productivity
in local populations by releasing males to the wild. Additional
funds are required to support the breeding center and to track
released males using satellite radar technology. Your generous
donation toward our goal of $5,000 will give a significant boost
to saiga conservation activities in Kalmykia.
Donate NOW! |
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© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
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Endangered Cranes Urgently Need Your Help!
Save endangered cranes in Khingansky
Zapovednik! Khingansky Zapovednik, near the border with
China, runs a breeding and reintroduction program to save dwindling
populations of red-crowned and white-naped cranes. Crane chicks
are raised from eggs donated by the International Crane Foundation
and from parental stock in Khingansky's breeding center. A
surgeon from the local hospital helps take care of newborn
chicks with complications until they are well enough to be
released into wild flocks. Last summer, for example, one chick
was born with a deformed leg. The surgeon performed a successful
operation to save the chick's leg and the baby crane began
to recover. But the lack of sufficient medication, specifically
anesthesia for the traumatized chick, resulted in the chick
dying due to pain and stress. Medication
and supplies costing $1,000 are desperately needed on a continuing
basis to successfully raise endangered crane chicks and release
them into the wild.
Donate NOW! |
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© 2004 Igor
Shpilenok
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Help Russia’s Bear Whisperer Rescue Orphaned Bear
Cubs!
Give orphaned bear cubs a second chance in Tsentralno-Lesnoy
Zapovednik! Each year, hunters and poachers in the Tver
Region kill hundreds of bears. Many of these are mothers with
cubs only days or weeks old. Without the intervention of Dr.
Pazhetnov at the Clean Forest Biological Station in Tsentralno-Lesnoy
Zapovednik, these baby bears would be doomed. Dr. Pazhetnov
takes the bears into his home and raises them - up to 20 each
year - until they are old enough to fend for themselves in the
wild. His program, in existence for more than 20 years, has
helped save hundreds of bears, giving them a second chance at
survival. But baby bears require a lot of food, medicine, and
special attention. Your contribution will help us raise $1,500
for Dr. Pazhetnov's bear station to save even more bear cubs
this winter.
Donate NOW!
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© 1999 Igor Shpilenok
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Save Wild Reindeer in Western Siberia!
Help conserve reindeer in Kuznetsky
Alatau Zapovednik! An isolated group of about 120 reindeer
in the mountains of Western Siberia has been cut off from other
reindeer populations for several decades. As a result, inbreeding
threatens the genetic integrity and survival of this population
of wild reindeer. By bringing in 10 male reindeer from a neighboring
region, the genetic pool of the Kuznetsky Alatau population
would increase significantly, increasing the population's chance
for survival. We aim to raise $5,000 to helicopter reindeer
into the reserve, and for scientists to follow their progress
for the first year.
Donate NOW! |
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There are many more ways to help conserve Russia's wild places.
For more information on these and other projects, please contact
the Center for Russian Nature Conservation (CRNC). |
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