In the summer of last year, employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS took part in a ten-day expedition to study the Baikal seal, organized by the Lake Baikal Foundation. 15 wild seals were tagged with satellite transmitters to observe what areas of the lake are used by seals during different seasons and calculate their migration routes. Additionally, scientists collected 174 samples of biological material from wild seals for further research.
Toxicological and virological studies have already been completed, and at the moment, complex genetic analyzes are being conducted, which will make it possible to understand how the endemic adapts to changes in the ecological environment, and whether there are different subspecies of the same population of the Baikal seal.
In total, the genetic research requires 1.5 million rubles. Now the Fund "Help is needed" helps to partially solve this problem. A fundraiser has been launched for the purchase of reagents and supplies required for conducting laboratory tests.
If you, too, would like to help the Baikal seal, and help us learn more about it in order to properly approach its protection, you can contribute to this complex research by following the link: https://takiedela.ru/topics/pomoshh-izucheniyu-baykalskoy-nerpy/
