Snow sheep (or Siberian bighorn sheep) once inhabited this area, but were exterminated by humans. Four years ago, work began here to restore the population. The first group - four males and three females - were relocated from the Omsukchansky District in 2020. Another 12 animals were released into the wild last weekend.
Employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution are providing scientific support for the project to capture, release and monitor the animals. According to Jose Antonio Hernandez-Blanco, PhD in Biology, Senior Researcher at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a specialist in the behavior and ecology of large predators, the bighorn sheep are already getting used to the wild and are feeling well. Some of the animals have GPS satellite collars, which allow tracking their movements. Also collared sheep captured and released at the capture site to compare space use patterns in the original habitat and the new one.
Currently, the island has stepped up security measures to prevent tourists from disturbing the animals. But in the future, people will be able to watch snow sheep and musk oxen in their natural habitat from observation platforms on the island.
This project is part of a program to study the spatial ecology of snow sheep, reindeer, elk and wolves in Kolyma, which is being implemented by the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the financial and organizational support of I.B. Dontsov.