Roe Deer — Elyk

Roe deer — Capreolus capreolus Grau. (in Kyrgyz: male — kuran, female — elik)

The roe deer is widely distributed in the republic, found almost everywhere on the slopes and gorges of mountain ranges covered with spruce forests or thickets of shrubs, the latter being particularly well represented in floodplain forests. The most numerous roe deer are found along the ridges: Terskey and Kunghey Ala-Too, At-Bashinsky, Naryn, Kavak, Jumgal (northern slopes), Talas, Chatkal, Kyrgyz (northern slopes), and Alay (northern slopes). As for the floodplain forests along the Susamyr, At-Bashin valley, Naryn, and Talas, roe deer currently exist in insignificant numbers due to years of poaching.

In the floodplain forest along the Chatkal valley, roe deer are encountered only occasionally, due to heavy snowfall. In the recent past, roe deer were quite common in the shrub thickets of the coastal area of Lake Issyk-Kul, but they are no longer found here. The only exception is a section of the Issyk-Kul Nature Reserve located along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in the Pokrovsky district. Currently, due to the establishment of a network of reserves in the republic (the upper reaches of the Naryn River, Upper Kemin Forestry — northern slopes of the Kunghey Ala-Too), as well as the Issyk-Kul Nature Reserve with sections of Altyn-Arashan and Jety-Oguz (Terskey Ala-Tuu) and others, the number of roe deer here has significantly increased.

Attempts are being made to reintroduce roe deer: in 1967, at the initiative of the State Inspectorate for Nature Protection, three females and two males were brought in and released into the reed thickets of the reserve located in the territory of the Dry Ridge in the Issyk-Kul basin. Unfortunately, it must be noted that there has been an almost complete disappearance of roe deer within a two-kilometer zone around Lake Issyk-Kul.

The report on the distribution of roe deer would be incomplete if we do not focus on the territory of the Chui Valley.

Here, just a few decades ago, in the reed thickets along the Chu River near the village of Kamyshanovka, as well as in similar conditions along the Kara-Baltinka River in its lower reaches (the Shavyra area), roe deer were repeatedly encountered. Currently, in these places, due to the implementation of hydromelioration works aimed at draining swampy areas, the areas occupied by reed thickets have significantly decreased. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that the remaining reeds are mowed and burned. All this has ultimately led to the almost complete disappearance of roe deer in the Chui Valley (only a few individuals are occasionally spotted).

An exception is the Tokmak State Reserve, covering an area of 1000 hectares, located 5-6 km from the city of Tokmak.

Here, in the reed and shrub thickets along the left bank of the Krasnaya River, about 60 animals are found.

The main habitats of roe deer in mountainous conditions are forest areas interspersed with various shrubs and open glades overgrown with diverse herbs. They are common in poplar-willow plantations along river valleys, in walnut-fruit forests. They are less frequently found in juniper thickets. As for alpine meadows, roe deer appear here only during feeding periods. Overall, the vertical distribution range of roe deer extends from the flat areas of valleys to the belt of alpine meadow-steppes.

At different times of the year, the lifestyle and behavior of roe deer change. In summer, they are most often seen alone; sometimes males, along with solitary females and young, form small groups. Pregnant females keep separate, mainly found in dense thickets.

In winter conditions in Kyrgyzstan, we have observed groups of roe deer numbering from 5 to 13 individuals.

By the way, for steppe roe deer in Germany and East Germany, herds of up to 100 heads are noted. This is obviously related to the overall population of animals — there are more of them there than in Kyrgyzstan. In some cases, the herd may change due to the appearance of new animals or the departure of old ones. During the winter period, during the day, often on the sunny side of the slopes in sparse forests or below the forest belt, roe deer rest in lying positions.

Long-term observations have established that the rutting season for roe deer in the northern part of Kyrgyzstan begins in mid-August, with reports of its onset also in the first days of August (Kuznetsov, 1948). Approximately at the same time, the rutting season occurs in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan. A few days before the rut begins, males start to dig the ground with their hooves and butt bushes. During the rut, they are often very aggressive, and fierce battles occur between them for possession of females, resulting in serious injuries to the males, and the grass at the sites of the incidents is often trampled or even uprooted. By the end of September, the rut usually ends, although it sometimes continues until the first days of October.

The birthing of females begins at the end of May or the first days of June. Thus, the gestation period is determined to be 9 months. N. N. Sokolov (1959) also indicates a 9-month gestation period for roe deer. This author also mentions the presence of two estrous cycles in roe deer: one from mid-July to the end of August (main) and from the end of November to mid or late December (second additional). Given this data, the pregnancy of roe deer can last either 9-10 or 5-6 months. In the conditions of Kyrgyzstan, we have not observed estrus and rutting in roe deer in November and December.

As a rule, the female gives birth to one or two young, which stay in secluded places for some time. The coloration of young roe deer is spotted; by the end of July, the spots disappear, and from August, the young begin to separate from their mothers.

Roe deer undergo two molts: the spring molt begins in March and usually ends in the second decade of June; the autumn molt begins in the first half of August and ends in September.

The diet of roe deer depends on the time of year. In summer, they mainly feed on herbaceous vegetation; with the onset of cold weather, the wilting of grasses, and snowfall, roe deer eat the branches of various trees and shrubs, as well as their leaves.

Here is a general list of foods consumed by roe deer in Kyrgyzstan:
1. Geranium — leaves.
2. Anemone — leaves, fruits.
3. Yarrow — leaves.
4. Vetch — leaves, tops of stems.
5. Skerza — stem, young heads.
6. Epilobium — leaves.
7. Meadow grass — leaves, stems.
8. Comarum — flowers, buds.
9. Honeysuckle — leaves.
10. Rosehip — leaves.

Among the enemies of roe deer, the wolf is primarily noted, which especially often attacks them in winter; additionally, in winter, the snow leopard hunts them, descending from the rocks into the spruce forests in search of food. Many roe deer die in summer from being chased by dogs and, of course, the most from poachers, who hunt them year-round, often using traps.

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