Bukhara deer population in Uzbekistan is gradually recovering

31 October 2007

© WWF-Russia

© WWF-Russia

A group of bukhara deer was released from pens in the Zarafshan nature reserve, Uzbekistan . The release of this endangered species into the wild is an important milestone on the WWF bukhara deer project in Central Asia.

The project aimed at reintroducing these graceful animals in the Zarafshan reserve began in 1995, when pens were constructed and deer were brought here from two other nature reserves, where they had not yet disappeared altogether.

This is the second group of the deer to be set free. The scientists of the reserve have observed that the first one – released in 2005 – has already adopted to the new life in the wild nature of the reserve. Scientists have seen newborns, deer paths and signs. Another positive trend is that the deer are cautious with people – it is important that the animals do not get used to people when they live in pens.

“The number of the deer in pens is increasing, and once again we have opened the gates to set free our endangered friends”, says Yury Chikin, WWF coordinator in Uzbekistan. “This even is a logical and important result of a complex and meticulous work of a large group of the project implementers, staff of the pens and reserve management”.

“The newly released animals are going to join the wildlings, which will allow them to inhabit a big territory and breed more actively”, says Olga Pereladova, head of WWF Central Asia Programme. “And the animals in the pens will have more space now”.

In the frame of the WWF project, Bukhara deer are reintroduced in three areas (two in Kazakhstan and one in Uzbekistan), which they inhabited before mid 20th century. Before the project was launched in 1999, only 350-400 deer inhabited the whole of Central Asia. Now according to the census conducted in 2006, there are about 1000 of them.

For additional information please contact

Masha Vinokurova, Press officer, tel: +7 (495) 727-09-39, tel/fax: +7 (495) 727-09-38, send e-mail or Olga Pereladova, Head of the WWF Central Asia Programme, tel: +7 (495) 727-09-39, tel/fax: +7 (495) 727-09-38, send e-mail

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