Hiking tours group in Kazakhstan.

“Nature abhors annihilation” 

Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Active traveller in Kazakhstan.

The fauna of the Almaty reserve, and all Northern Tien-Shan, is very peculiar. Here the Central Asian mountain types, including endemic for certain ridges or the massif prevail. Both many forest and steppe European and Mediterranean types live here.
The specific fauna Almaty reserve with several endemic types is characteristic of fir forests. Here the spotted nutcracker, a three-fingered woodpecker, a hawk owl, a lynx, Siberian stag (Cervus elaphus), a roe and some other meet.
The porcupine, a boar, a bluebird of happiness, etc. meet.
Invertebrate animals of the reserve are studied not enough. Amphibia are presented by only one look - a green toad. She is ordinary on damp slopes. Higher than 2500 meters above sea level almost do not meet. From reptiles are usual Pallasov a copperheads and cottonmouths and a figured runner, steppe and ordinary vipers, ordinary and water already are rare.
Alay гологлаз everywhere meets in mountains up to the height of 3800 m, it is the most frequent - on the stony bottoms of the rivers. For the winter falls into hibernation. According to preliminary data, about 200 bird species live in the reserve.
Regarding the deciduous woods the oriole, thrushes, a big titmouse are ordinary. In recent years nesting of a big motley woodpecker is noted. The three-fingered woodpecker, forest horned owl, hawk owl, ordinary kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), big turtle-dove are characteristic of fir forests.
From chicken the black grouse is ordinary. In the spring of a black grouse be about in packs, on watersheds of ridges and tops of the mountains adjoining the wood. Here several roosters, sometimes to 10 - 15 gather usually. In the winter the main forage of a black grouse - needles of a fir-tree of Shrenk, in the spring and in the summer - leaves and seeds of herbs, and also insects, in the fall - fir-tree seeds, fruits and berries.
In fir forests also constantly there lives a spotted nutcracker. In a subalpine belt the painted titmouse, a grosbeak are usual. The Alpine daw, a golden eagle, Himalaya улар are characteristic of the Alpine fields. In thickets of bushes and on beds of the rivers and streams there live olyapk, a snipe, the mountain and masked wagtails, a blackbird, a bluebird of happiness.
On the southern slopes of mountains are numerous mountain chicken, in thickets of bushes Semirechensky pheasants occasionally meet. In the territory of the reserve 38 species of mammals meet. The hare meets generally on the southern slopes.
On large stony taluses there lives a red mouse. This small animal for the winter prepares herbs, branches of trees and bushes which puts under big stones. In the woods of the reserve the forest mouse is numerous. In stones meet a mountain silvery and Tien-Shan forest mouse.
The squirrel acclimatized since 1952 in Northern Tien-Shan became usual in the reserve. Its number depends generally on harvests of seeds of a fir-tree of Shrenk. In lean years of protein since fall it begins to be fed with her kidneys. There lives in the reserve the Tien-Shan brown bear, generally fir forests.
Bear number in the reserve is quite stable: 20 - 25 pieces. The snow leopard lives in the basic in the Alpine part and only in the winter after mountain goats goes down in forest and a steppe part. In the reserve constantly there live 2 - 3 families of this rare predator. In fir forests the Turkestan lynx (about 10 individuals) meets.
As production to it serve roes, the young growth of a wild boar and mountain goat is more rare. Since 1970 in the reserve constantly there live 2 - 4 wolves. For the winter part of them leaves together with a livestock, vypasayemy in the territory of a security zone.
Traces of a fox meet everywhere up to the Alpine part of the reserve. The ermine, especially near taluses where there lives also stone marten is ordinary. In the deciduous woods there lives a badger. In the reserve meet a boar, all there are about 60 - 80 individuals.
In the deciduous woods on the rivers the Right and Left Talgar pigs have a good food supply and reliable shelters. The roe meets to the upper bound of the wood, but is most numerous in the deciduous woods and on the southern slopes which plentifully grew with a bush. Its number fluctuates from 400 to 650 individuals, considerably decreasing after severe and multisnow winters.
Gradually the number of a maral increases. In 1968 - 1972 single traces and the dumped horns occasionally met. Now in the reserve, generally in fir forests, it is daily possible to observe groups of the grazed marals to 10 heads.
In total here about 120 deer live.
The most numerous of reserve hoofed animals - the Siberian mountain goat. According to annual chats, 700 goats live in highlands of the reserve. Especially large herds. to 100 - 150 heads, goats form in the winter. 

Authority:
"Zhetysu is the Land of  tourism”. A Tourist Guide-book. Almaty.  2003. 68 p. and the material for this page is taken from the printed edition.

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.