ASTANA — Kazakhstan is focusing on protecting rare wildlife and actively restoring animal populations by reintroducing species such as kulan, tigers and Przewalski horses so they can roam freely in this landscape. Recently, several kulans were reintroduced into one of the country’s national parks, marking an important step in the restoration of this species. Kazakhstan had previously welcomed Amur tigers from the Netherlands as part of a reintroduction initiative, Kazinform reported.

two in september Amur tigersClose relatives of the extinct Turan tiger came from the Netherlands.Photo credit: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan.

Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has made wildlife conservation a priority. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, programs for the restoration of rare species have been successfully implemented for decades. Efforts began in the late 1990s with the creation of new protected areas that provided stable conditions for wildlife populations to recover. As a result, the saiga antelope population has increased significantly, and the number of kulan, goiter gazelle and argali sheep has also increased.

A long-term resettlement project, listen We are returning to the steppes of Kazakhstan. From 1953 to 1961, 14 kulans were moved from the Badkhyz State Nature Reserve in Turkmenistan to Barsakelmes Island. When the population on the island reached 200, the animals were gradually moved to the mainland. Today, Altyn-Emel National Park is home to the world’s largest free-ranging population of kulans that have successfully adapted to the wild.

On October 2, 24 kulans came from Altyn Emel National Park in Almaty Region to Altyn Dala Nature Reserve in Kostanai Region. Photo credit: Press service of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In the next phase of the project in 2022, 60 kulans in the Ile-Balkhash and Altyn Dala reserves were successfully adapted. This year, the Ministry of Ecology completed another phase with the relocation of 67 more kulans, including 43 in the Ile-Balkhash reserve and 24 in Altin Dala, to stimulate population growth in these areas. Experts note that the risk of unsuccessful adaptation is low, as evidenced by the birth of foals in the wild.

Alongside these efforts, Kazakhstan has launched two ambitious projects to restore Przewalski’s horses and the Turanian tiger in 2024. two in september Amur tigersClose relatives of the extinct Turan tiger came from the Netherlands. This project, which started in 2018 with the support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Ministry of Ecology, aims to revive tiger populations by ensuring a stable food supply, including sustainable red deer and roe deer populations. Additionally, several more tigers are planned to arrive in 2025 under a memorandum of understanding signed between Kazakhstan and Russia.

In June 2024, the first group of Przewalski’s horses arrived, and their number is planned to be increased to 40-50 in the coming years. Photo source: altyndala.org

Przewalski’s horsesAnother iconic species, the slug, has also begun to return to the wilds of Kazakhstan. The first group of horses arrived in June 2024, and the number is planned to be increased to 40-50 in the coming years. The project is supported by Prague Zoo. To help them adapt, Kazakhstan established a reintroduction center in the Altyn Dala reserve in 2016, where experts monitor the animals daily and make sure they have everything they need to thrive.

Kazakhstan is working to restore and protect these ungulates, as well as Asian bustards. Conservation and monitoring work in designated protected areas is carried out by the state organization Okhotzooprom.

Thanks to a breeding center in the Baidibek district of the Turkestan region, more than 57,000 bustards have been released into the wild in the last 14 years, helping to protect this rare bird. In Kazakhstan, birds raised in a breeding center are released into the wild every year. A total of 57,406 Asian bustards were released from 2009 to 2023. The only breeding center of these birds is located in Baidibek district of Turkestan Region.