The fauna of the Chui Valley is part of the Western Tienir-Tous zoogeographic region. According to specialists, more than 300 species of vertebrates inhabit this area, including over 15 species of fish, about 280 species of birds, and 50 species of mammals. The densely populated plains of the Chui Valley are mostly developed, and the natural landscape has been significantly altered, leading to a decrease in animal populations each year. In the late 19th century, tigers, wild boars, and others could be found among the reeds in the Chui Valley. Species such as the bustard, black grouse, and crane, which inhabited the area 40-45 years ago, are now absent. Previously, ducks, geese, terns, gulls, diving ducks, storks, and lapwings were found in the reed beds along the shores of water bodies and in marshy areas. The muskrat, hunted for its valuable fur, has been exterminated and is on the brink of extinction. Most of the plain has been plowed and developed, causing many birds to lose their habitats and migrate to other areas. In the steppe zone, reptiles such as lizards, snakes, vipers, and colubrids can be found. Many species of birds inhabit the river valleys: skylarks, white-browed and long-tailed pheasants, reed warblers, great tits, minstrels, nightingales, thrushes, pigeons, Indian starlings, bats, hoopoes, sandgrouse, partridges, golden eagles, and bearded vultures, among others.
In the Chui Valley, mammals include voles, jerboas, shrews, wolves, foxes, badgers, marmots, squirrels, roe deer, bears, mountain rams, argalis, and snow leopards. Further development and irrigation of lands, along with poaching, negatively impact animal populations. For example, the populations of the great and small jerboas, as well as steppe and forest mice, are on the brink of extinction, while the expansion of agricultural crops has led to a sharp increase in the numbers of some species (house mice, gray hamsters, etc.) due to abundant food sources. The habitats of animals in the developed foothill areas are shrinking, and some species are being exterminated. The snow leopard, Turkestan lynx, mountain goat, argali, and others are on the verge of complete extinction.
Among all these animals, there are many rare and valuable species that need protection. This includes large and valuable animals such as argalis, mountain goats, bears, and snow leopards. The argali is a very large animal (weighing up to 160-180 kg) and is a magnificent creature. The male has beautiful horns that spiral into a huge coil, which are highly valued in the global market. The snow leopard can reach a length of about three meters. It silently stalks its prey from the rocks and, with a powerful leap and strike, brings down the animal, while its terrible fangs tear the throat of the victim.
Forests and individual patches of woody and shrubby vegetation represent habitats for valuable game animals. They are associated with the habitats of roe deer, wild boars, pheasants, and other animals, while steep rocky slopes and scree are home to mountain goats.
In rivers and water bodies, about 15 species of fish can be found (carp, common carp, catfish, pike, etc.). In special water bodies, carp, white amur, and silver carp are bred.
Human economic activity often leads to the impoverishment of the animal world. Plant overgrowth, where animals and birds found food and shelter and raised their young, is disappearing; the living conditions for game in forests, wetlands, and other types of habitats are deteriorating.
The animal world is a crucial component of the natural wealth of the Chui Basin. It serves as a source for industrial and medicinal raw materials, food products, and other material values necessary to meet the needs of the population and the national economy.
Geoecological Condition and Requirements for the Protection of the Animal World.
The animal world is the sum of animal communities or zoocenosis, representing a system of interacting animal organisms characterized by a specific species composition, trophic relationships (in terms of nutrition), and their relationship to the habitat and territory.
The animal world is a very important resource of the planet, including the Chui Valley, whose significance for humans is hard to overestimate. The animal world is an important part of the planet's biosphere, yet it is the most vulnerable component of the natural complex. By feeding on plants and each other, animals participate in the biological cycle of substances, which is part of the overall cycle of substances on the planet. Animals have a significant impact on the life of plants. Some pollinate, others disperse seeds, while others consume and provide themselves with nutrients.
Animals also play a significant role in human life. Many of them serve as sources of food and raw materials for artisanal and industrial production, as well as domestication. These include agricultural animals, fur-bearing animals, fish, and others.
Animals serve as subjects of scientific research and the creation of new breeds of agricultural animals.
Human society has a great influence on the life activities of some species, leading to the reduction of others.
The impact of humans on animals can be direct and indirect. Direct impacts include hunting, harvesting, and large-scale extermination for meat, fur, fat, etc. Throughout the history of hunting, dozens of species of large mammals and birds have been completely exterminated by humans.
Unregulated hunting and poaching have led to a reduction in populations and, at times, the extermination of several valuable species of wild animals in the Chui Valley. For example, the populations of snow leopards, ibex, argalis, gazelles, and roe deer have significantly decreased. By the way, poaching of snow leopards is punishable by law with imprisonment for up to three years or a fine (up to 62,000 soms).
Indirect human influence on the animal world consists of changing the natural environment and creating new ecological conditions for habitation. Humans drastically alter conditions and even destroy habitats for animals. For this reason, many species of animals are at risk of extinction.
In the Chui Valley, there are strict rules for amateur and commercial hunting of wild animals. According to these rules, amateur and commercial hunting of gazelles, argalis, kulan, snow leopards, cranes, and other animals is prohibited. Amateur hunting is allowed during specific periods for hares, sandgrouse, foxes, badgers, sandgrouse, ducks of all species, and others.
According to legislation, poaching is considered hunting without a hunting license in prohibited areas using prohibited methods. The extraction of animal resources beyond established shooting norms, destruction of nests, intentional destruction of reed beds, habitats of animals and birds, etc.
Wild animals belong to the group of renewable natural resources, but the populations of some species have decreased so much due to human impact that they have lost their ability to renew.
Extinct species of animals represent invaluable losses for the biosphere and humanity. The extinction of animal species occurs not only due to human impact but also naturally during the course of evolution. The natural process of extinction occurs very slowly and cannot be compared to the pace of extinction caused by human actions. Therefore, humanity must create favorable conditions for animals to achieve an increase in their populations that would eliminate the dangers of their extinction. It should be noted that the decrease in animal populations has primarily occurred as a result of the intensification of livestock farming, which previously developed without regard for habitat preservation, breeding conditions, and migration routes of animals. Significant harm to populations and their habitats is also caused by the degradation of woody and shrubby vegetation, plowing of significant land areas, drying up of water bodies, and poaching.
To register and take urgent measures to preserve rare and endangered species of animals, Red Books are created. This work has been ongoing worldwide since the 1960s. The first Red Book was established in the Soviet Union in 1974. Currently, every sovereign state of the CIS has its own Red Book, including Kyrgyzstan (1982). Many species of animals are listed in the Red Book: gazelle, snow leopard, red wolf, Menzbir's marmot, maral, Tian Shan mountain ram, and others. Each species in the Red Book includes detailed information about its former and current distribution, habitats, population, lifestyle, breeding rates, and more.
The Red Book is updated annually with new data. Information about endangered species, whose rescue is impossible without special protective measures, is printed on red pages as a signal of alarm. Information about species whose populations are rapidly declining is presented on yellow pages. Data about rare species that have survived in small numbers and in limited areas are printed on white pages. Green pages contain information about species whose populations have been restored as a result of implemented measures.
The Red Book is not only a signal of danger but also an important program document for the rescue of animals. Each country where a particular species listed in the Red Book resides bears a moral responsibility to all humanity for its preservation.