Wildlife of Kyrgyzstan

Wildlife of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan

People around the world are increasingly interested in unique or rich flora and fauna, which is forming a significant and constantly growing segment of the tourism industry. Currently, thousands of tourists travel to distant places such as the Galapagos Islands, the Serengeti Reserve in Africa, the Great Barrier Reef, the jungles of Costa Rica, etc., to see and photograph rare plants and trees, butterflies or other insects, as well as endangered animals.

Undoubtedly, Kyrgyzstan has a rich flora and fauna. The Tian Shan mountains are famous worldwide for preserving unique and rare species of plants, animals, and insects. However, the volume of this resource's realization in the tourism market is quite insignificant. This primarily refers to humane types of tourism, such as wildlife observation and photo hunting. At the same time, a serious challenge is ensuring effective protection of this natural national treasure. It is known that poaching and trade in rare animal species occur. The hunting of large game by foreign tourists using helicopters is reaching alarming proportions.

The wildlife of the Tian Shan and its individual regions is characterized by complex combinations of vertebrate animals from various faunistic complexes. To preserve and reproduce the wildlife of Kyrgyzstan, efforts are needed to identify the productivity of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, organize reserves and sanctuaries, and develop a set of biotechnical measures aimed at conserving useful animal species and increasing their populations.

Mammals. Within the republic, there are 83 species of mammals, including: insectivores - 5, bats - 16, lagomorphs - 4, rodents - 28, carnivores - 22, artiodactyls - 6.

Unique animals in Kyrgyzstan include the maral, argali, and brown bear.

Their habitat covers the spruce forests of the Tian Shan and high-altitude valleys: Arpa, Aksai, Suusamyr. The upper slopes of the mountains are inhabited by herds of wild goats and argalis, and here, at the borders of eternal snows, the snow leopard prowls. In the gorges, one can find: roe deer, marten, lynx. Intensive extermination and poaching have led to the complete disappearance of these animals in many places, and therefore they are listed in the Red Book. There are 17 species of mammals and 35 species of birds that are rare and endangered.

The Tian Shan and Pamir-Alai mountains are the only places on earth where the snow leopard resides. The snow leopard is a beautiful animal, one of the largest predators in the republic.



The Tian Shan brown bear differs from the Siberian bear in its smaller size and more good-natured, even timid temperament. Its claws are light, which is why it is called the white-clawed bear, while the Siberian bear has black claws. This is a typical inhabitant of the highlands. The bear is omnivorous. Its diet mainly consists of fruits, berries, insects, and larvae. It is also known to hunt larger game: it may attempt to take down a young kid or a roe deer, but this is rarely successful. The animal is included in the Red Book.



The red wolf... An elusive, mysterious creature. Few people have seen it in the wild, and cases of capturing the animal are rare. It is smaller than a common wolf, with reddish-brown fur, from which it gets its name. Its tail is very fluffy. The red wolf is found high in the mountains in small packs of 5 to 6 individuals, hunting for ibex, argalis, and catching marmots and other rodents. The red wolf is listed in the Red Book.

Upon seeing the Turkestan lynx for the first time, it is hard to believe that this wild cat, a permanent resident of the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, possesses such strength, energy, cunning, treachery, and ferocity. The predator easily handles roe deer, ibex, and hares. Climbing a tree near a watering hole, the lynx waits motionless for hours, patiently watching for prey. When animals approach the watering hole, a terrifying 20-30 kg body suddenly falls onto one of them... It is difficult to escape from its sharp claws and powerful paws.

Fish

Kyrgyzstan is home to 49 species of fish, including acclimatized ones. Among the fish, the carp family is the most numerous. The main fishing water body in the country is Lake Issyk-Kul. The main commercial fish of the lake include: the little carp (which accounts for up to 90% of the total catch), chebak, naked osman, marinka, and common carp. In recent years, there has been a slight decrease in the catch. In addition to commercial fish, the lake is home to "trash fish": gudgeon, loach, and both naked and scaled osmans. They could serve as good food for predatory fish, but due to the absence of true predators among the natives, the "trash fish" have not been used as feed for a long time. Considering this, in Issyk-Kul, in order to increase the biomass of predators based on small trash fish, various years have seen the introduction of zander, Sevan trout, as well as bream, carp, tench, crucian carp, and grayling. Among the introduced species, trout and zander have acclimatized the best, and now these two species have commercial significance. Zander occupies a leading position in terms of catch size and is likely to master extensive water areas of the lake in the future.



In small water bodies and rivers of Kyrgyzstan, common carp, rudd, pike, marinka, catfish, and both naked and scaled osmans are found.

On the territory of Kyrgyzstan, there are three species of amphibians: green toad, Siberian frog, and lake frog; 25 species of reptiles: steppe tortoises, snakes, lizards, monitor lizards; and 335 species of birds.

In calm weather, Issyk-Kul is exceptionally beautiful in places where swans winter: across the mirror-like surface of the lake, shimmering in all shades—from light blue to dark blue—majestic birds glide silently, with proud tranquility.



Two species of swans winter here—the whooper and the Bewick's swan. These are large birds weighing up to 13 kg or more. Adult plumage is white; the whooper has a red bill, while the Bewick's swan has a yellow bill, and both have black legs. When swimming, the whooper has an elegantly curved neck, while the Bewick's swan has a straight neck.
The ulars or mountain turkeys are found high in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. This very sensitive bird has sharp eyesight and keen hearing. Therefore, catching an adult fat ulars weighing 2.5 to 3 kg is the dream of every sports hunter. Its meat is tender, tasty, and nutritious. However, the requirements for this sport hunting are significant: the hunter must possess good health, have great endurance, and be trained in walking on rocky terrain, and must be able to navigate accurately among the rocks.

The snake eagle is a unique predatory bird that feeds on snakes, often venomous, and lizards, which it also feeds to its chicks. Hence, it received its strange name. It is quite large, weighing about 2 kg. After catching a snake and crushing its head with its beak, the bird swallows the prey, leaving only the tip of the tail outside. Upon returning, it sits on the edge of the nest, and the chick pulls on the protruding tip, pulls out the snake, and eats it.

Kyrgyzstan is home to rare mountain geese. Their habitats are the lakes Son-Kul and Chatyr-Kul. There are only about 30 pairs on Son-Kul and 50-60 on Chatyr-Kul. The mountain goose is listed in the Red Book. By government decision, reserves have been established at the lakes specifically to protect this valuable bird.



Vultures, white-headed vultures, and bearded eagles gathered around the carcass of a fallen horse. This rare sight—a feast of various feathered scavengers. In Kyrgyzstan, the snow vulture is found—a rather rare, large bird with a wingspan of up to 3 meters and a weight of up to 12 kg. Its plumage is light yellow, with black wings and tail, and its head and neck are covered with light down, appearing almost completely bare from a distance. It inhabits high mountains and nests in inaccessible cliffs. Vultures are called nature's sanitarians; they feed on carrion.

The bearded vulture or lammergeier is a large bird weighing up to 6 kg, with a wingspan of nearly three meters. It has elongated black feathers on its chin resembling a long beard, which is how it got its name. It belongs to the vulture family, and animal bones are its main food.

The golden eagle is the largest eagle in our fauna. Hunting with a golden eagle has long been an exciting sport for Kyrgyz people. The golden eagle is considered the most popular hunting bird. It is used to hunt foxes, hares, large birds, and wolves. Before a predator becomes a hunting bird, a skilled hunter—berkutchi—will spend a lot of time training it.



In the Alai Valley flows the Kyzyl-Suu River—a tributary of the Amu Darya. It is home to the valuable Amu Darya trout. The trout reaches an average weight of 2 kg.

In the Naiman Reservoir, valuable fish species are also bred: mirror carp, common carp, silver carp, and white amur. Naiman carp and common carp can reach large sizes, sometimes exceeding 10 kg.

A small bird with a brown chest, the dipper, resides year-round by mountain rivers. You will never see it far from water; it usually feeds on the pebbles along the shore or... at the bottom of the mountain stream. The dipper is an excellent diver. Water is its element. It is amazing how this small and seemingly weak bird boldly plunges into the depths of the mountain stream. Clinging with its feet to the stones and fluttering its wings, it confidently and quickly moves along the riverbed, foraging for insect larvae, mollusks, and other food.