Population status of gazelle (Gazella subqutturosa Guldenstadt) in the deserts of South Kazakhstan

Abstract

Wild ungulates, in particular the goitered gazelle, as a unique gene pool of Eurasian biodiversity, are the property of the entire world community and are included in the Red Book of both the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in the category of «vulnerable species». Currently, the trend of a steady decline in the number of goitered gazelles in the southern regions of Kazakhstan is increasing. The main reason is the increasing pressure of «anthropogenic pressure», accompanied by the expansion of oil field development and the transition of the rural economy to private farms, which deprives ungulates of access to water sources.

Based on the above, the aim of the work was to record and monitor the goitered gazelle (Gazella subqutturosa Guldenstadt) in the deserts of Southern Kazakhstan, which is of significant scientific and practical interest.

Planned ground-based surveys and monitoring of the goitered gazelle were conducted in April-May, September-November and February 2019-2023 in five regions of Kazakhstan: Almaty, Zhambyl, Turkestan, Kyzylorda and Mangistau, using a method developed by the staff of the Institute of Zoology of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The results of the study showed that of the five regions of the southern region of the country, the Kyzylorda and Almaty regions occupy a significant area of ​​habitat for gazelles due to the presence of watering places and favorable conditions. Significantly fewer goitered gazelles were observed in the Mangistau and Zhambyl regions. It was found that the dynamics of the goitered gazelle population compared to 2019 in the studied regions tends to increase in population, which increased on average from 3.45 to 13.76% in 2023. Thus, the observed trend of increasing the number of goitered gazelles in the deserts of Southern Kazakhstan is possibly associated with favorable living conditions, accessible watering places, and good conditions for wintering.