Phototour behind wild animals of Mangyshlak

Ustyurt mouflon in Kazakhstan.

Phototour behind wild animals of Mangyshlak.

«Every creature lives in a state of war by nature»

Jonathan Swift.

Great hiking near Aktau and Mangyshlak.

Ustyurt moufflon, or arakal, is one of the least studied animals of Kazakhstan. In many places, the number is very low and the area is supported only broad movements of animals. Females inhabit rugged terrain, males, most of the year living in quieter areas of relief.
Major culprits of the death of the adult Arklow in the vicinity of the well Kugusem predators and people. Females are really more often mined than the predators. To get a female from a smooth-bore weapons, which prevails among the local population, lighter than the male, so as to meet suddenly at a close distance or get close to the victim for a short distance in the rugged terrain where they live females, is easier than in open habitats.
According to the observations of A. A. Sludskii et al. (1981), wolves often hunt for arcalli. Apparently, the sheep in a significant number were extracted predators in recent years and in the winter, but due to the increase in the number of saiga in the cabin wolves switched to power it, and the proportion of ARCAL has declined markedly.
People also often produces Arklow, podkaraulivaya them at the watering places, and sometimes with the help of traps set out on the trails and on the water. Around any source where I drink arkali, you can see heavy metal objects or bundles of stones, to which the hunters tie the traps.
Under the cliff many times we found traps or parts of them, half covered with sand. Fishing traps was particularly prevalent in the 60-ies. Thus, in the first year of life the loss of young mouflon is about 70% of the number of births.
Summer young destroy predators, winter is part of the animals die from starvation, especially young left for any reason, without parents. In remote places, weakly affected by human activities, predation and poaching equally affect adult animals. Among the victims of a man dominated by older males, but is produced and a significant number of females (unlike predators).
Asian mouflon - medium size (body length of males up to b, females - up to 140 cm; weight of males is 70 kg, females up to 40 kg) of wild sheep on a fairly long legs. Kazakhstan is home to the largest subspecies of the Ustyurt moufflon, which inhabits the Ustyurt plateau in the Sands of the East and desert plain Kinderlieder, and the hills and valleys of the Mangyshlak Peninsula.
Mouflon are very mobile, he quickly descends and ascends the steep slopes, easily jumps from high ledges, and can jump up above the meter. Eats sparse desert vegetation, drinking both fresh and bitter water. Active mainly in the morning and evening. Most of the year they live in herds, in which the danger is following the leader. The main enemies - the wolf and the poacher. Mouflon are listed in the Red book of Kazakhstan.

Ustyurt mouflon.