The Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has decided to bring forth the information about the unknown heroes of science - laboratory animals that saved millions of human lives. All photos and videos presented in the section about fish were taken in the IEE RAS aquarium. The project combines photo, video and text materials and tells about eight animals that helped scientists make breakthroughs in science and medicine. The project was created jointly with the grant recipients of the Foundation, filming took place in real scientific laboratories. You can learn about it from the following link: https://animals.rscf.ru/ (in order to appreciate all the functions of the site, we recommend viewing it from a computer).

At the end of September, the next field season of the team of specialists on marine mammals of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Sea of Okhotsk ended. The project for the study of the endangered Okhotsk population of the bowhead whale is headed by a researcher of the Institute, Ph.D. Olga Shpak, who has been researching cetacean populations in the Shantar region of the Sea of Okhotsk for over 10 years. This year the work is being carried out under a grant from the Ocean Park Conservation Fund Hong Kong (OPCFHK). In the field team of IEE RAS, wonderful people worked: a young scientist and photo-ID specialist Milena Morozova, paramotor pilot Alexander Bogdanov and his wife, pilot assistant and "Universal Helper" Alexandra Solovova, and professional drone operator Sergey Abarok. In addition to observing the behavior and distribution of whales, taking biopsies normally and replenishing the photo catalog, this time the team set itself ambitious tasks: to install satellite transmitters monitor the migratory routes and winter habitats of whales, and also to test a new way of taking biopsies - from a drone. Sasha Bogdanov's professionalism and courage made it possible to establish a satellite tag on one whale (who was accordingly named Bogdashka). Scientists hope very much that Bogdashka will virtually take them to his winter site. After all, nothing is known about where bowhead whales spend winter in the Sea of Okhotsk. But even today, after 5 weeks of satellite data transmission, important information has already been received on the nature of the movement of whales in the Shantar area in the summer-autumn period. Using a drone (DJI Phantom 4 Pro with Fli-Fli release mechanism) to perform biopsy on bowhead whales promises to be successful. The team managed to collect several samples of leather, but had to admit that the design requires improvement (which will be done by the team in the winter). More than 30 skin samples were collected in a classical way and will be analyzed at the Institute's Molecular Center. The data obtained will help to clarify the size of the Shantar summer whale herd and the dynamics of the population size. This year's work was carried out mainly in Wrangel Bay, based in a tourist camp, with the full support of Far Eastern Expeditions LLC represented by its General Director Bakht Mavlanov. The number of tourists wishing to see whales is growing every year, and it is obvious that there is a need to create the Rules of Whale Watching and regulation of tourist activity in key places with high numbers of whales. Scientists have met from the tour operator a full understanding, willingness to contribute to research, to support conservation measures and ensure sustainability and environmental safety of tourism in the area. Drone pilot Sergei Abarok, invited by the Splav Company LLC, recorded every step, flight and sailing of the scientific team, but most importantly, he did not let the object of study out of the field of view of the camera of his DJI Mavic 2 Pro. While the staff of the Institute is creating a photo catalog from the received video recordings and analyzing the condition of the bowhead whale's skin, Sergey is editing beautiful videos as presented below. Related materials: PoiskNews: "Bowhead whales in the Sea of Okhotsk: the next field season of the team of specialists in marine mammals of IEE RAS has ended"

On October 26, 2020, the event took place in a series of events dedicated to the Year of Scientific and Technical Cooperation between China and Russia in the field of innovation. The seminar was devoted to the assessment of the suitability of habitats in the territory of the Lesser Khingan mountain range (Heilongjiang province, China) for the Amur tiger. The fifth meeting of the joint Russia-China Environmental Innovation and Research Center was successfully held via remote video communication in Harbin, China, and Moscow, Russia. More than 20 Chinese and Russian experts took part in the meeting, including Academician V.V. Rozhnov, Director of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS; A.V. Tiunov, deputy director of the Institute, Wu Yuehui, vice president of the Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences; Liu Zhizhong, Director of the International Cooperation Department, Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences; Zeng Zhaoven, Director of the Institute of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences. Zhu Shibin, Researcher, and Anna Yachmennikova, Senior Researcher, Responsible Coordinators from China and Russia for the implementation of the Amur tiger restoration program in transboundary areas of the range, made scientific reports on the topic "Restoring the Amur tiger population in the mountains of the Little Khingan - an overview and prospects" and “China. Research plan and directions of work for the restoration of the Amur tiger within the range". Wu Yining, Researcher, and Professor A.V. Tiunov, responsible for the implementation of cooperation in the field of research of the ecology of soil organisms, presented a work devoted to the study of the response of the community of soil animals in forests and wetlands to global climate change, as well as modern approaches, technologies and topical problems in studies of soil zoology. Both sides took stock of the research on cooperation over the past three years and formulated plans for scientific and technical cooperation and key areas of the region for the next three years. During the normalization of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, China and Russia are holding academic meetings through online broadcasts and coordinated and agreed on offline research programs. The successful meeting further deepened the scientific and technical cooperation of the Sino-Russian Environmental Innovation Research Center in the field of protection and restoration of the Amur tiger population, and also identified the future goals of cooperation. The results of joint work contribute to the development of an environmentally responsible civilization and the preservation of biodiversity in certain regions of our planet.  

Within the Baikal seal research program, developed by the A.N.Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as a part of the Agreement on Scientific Cooperation between IEE RAS and VNIRO, from October 14 to October 22, an expedition was carried out for comprehensive research of the endemic seal of Lake Baikal. The base of the expedition was located in the village of Kurbulik, on the shore of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula in the Chivyrkuisky Bay. We were delivered here by a car allocated by V.A. Peterfeld, director of the Baikal branch of VNIRO. Of the two settlements located in the bay, this one is the largest. In the past, the village was engaged in fishing, mainly of Baikal omul, which has become problematic to the decrease in its number. Approximately 30 people live permanently in the village, there is no electricity, and Baikal itself is used as a source of water. But in summer, life and business in these places flourish due to the number of tourists. The thermal springs of the Zmeyova Bay are located 13 km from Kurbulik, fishing and boat excursions are organized on the lake. The coastline of the peninsula is rich in small bays, where the water warms in summer. The location in the Chivyrkuisky Bay protects from the harsh Baikal winds - southwestern Kultuk, northeastern Barguzin, northeastern Sarma and southeastern Shelonnik. In the vicinity of the village, even in late autumn, you can meet the most interesting representatives of the Baikal fauna: nuthatches and long-tailed tits scurry among the coastal vegetation, hazel grouses, pigeons and squirrels are found in the forest, gulls sway on the water, and black crows fly over the houses in the village, which is not usual for residents the European part of Russia. We even managed to meet one great cormorant. Previously, many great cormorants lived on Lake Baikal, and in the summer on the largest island of the Chivyrkuisky Bay - Baklaniy - a large nesting place for these birds was formed. In recent decades, the number of cormorants on the lake has sharply decreased for unknown reasons, and Baklaniy Island is under the protection of the Trans-Baikal National Park. The expedition was joined by members of the IEE RAS Rozhnov V.V., Meshchersky I.G. and Solovyova M.A., as well as employees of VNIRO and its Baikal branch E.A. Boltnev, I.F. Belokobylsky, A.A. Koreev and senior veterinarian of the Center for Oceanography and Marine Biology Moskvarium I.V. Suvorova. The purpose of the expedition was to continue researching various aspects of the biology of the Baikal seal. The Baikal branch of VNIRO is carrying out a state assignment for capturing a small number of seals to assess the state of the seal population, and scientists from IEE RAS took advantage of this opportunity to collect biological samples for genetic, hormonal, morphological and toxicological studies. This was fully achieved thanks to the wonderful work of our colleagues from VNIRO, and the enthusiasm with which Ira Suvorova collected material for parasitological studies of the seal made it possible to further study the parasites of these seals. One of the most important tasks the scientists were facing was the installation of satellite transmitters on three adult Baikal seals. In the summer of 2019, with the support of the Lake Baikal Foundation, 15 transmitters were installed on Baikal seals. These were mainly young animals, and interesting data were obtained on their movements, which are now being processed, however, the movements of adult animals remain unexplored. During this autumn expedition, we managed to install two transmitters on adult animals (one male and one female). One transmitter successfully works and transmits information about the location of an adult male. Another transmitter was installed just a few days ago and data has not yet been received from it. The third transmitter is planned to be installed on a seal in the delta of the river Selenga. With their help, it is expected to obtain valuable information about the autumn-winter movements of mature seals. Members of the expedition Solovyova M.A., Rozhnov V.V.      

As a result of analyzing the data from a specially installed matrix of camera traps in the Caucasian Reserve, unique shots of leopards in nature were obtained. The happiest news was receiving footage of a leopard named Kodor - says Alim Pkhitikov, senior researcher at the Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of RAS, a member of the leopard field monitoring group - after all, this confirms that he is alive, and throughout the period after his release he successfully hunted and adapted to the natural environment. Kodor’s tracking collar stopped working almost immediately, not even 10 days after release. All this time, absolutely nothing was known about him and about how he adapts to life in the wild, how he hunts – whether everything is alright with him. This is the only leopard out of the four released in 2020 about whom no information was received at all at the Center of Remote Methods for Monitoring Animals in Nature. Judging by the photographs, Kodor is faring well, has acquired a more athletic form, looks healthy, has no external damage. This is important and joyful news for all project participants. The camera also captured a female named Laba released with Kodor in the wild landscape. She is also in good shape and, judging by the photo, is adapting well to the conditions of the Caucasian Reserve. The program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus is being implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia with the participation of the Sochi National Park, the Caucasus Nature Reserve, the World Fund for Nature, the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), A.K. Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Moscow Zoo, with the assistance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). Leopard monitoring is carried out with the financial support of VTB Bank. In North Ossetia, the company provides financial support for the population recovery program RusHydro.  

A satellite collar previously belonging to the female leopard Volna who got rid of two years after release has been found. The self-resetting system has operated on the device. The collar is suitable for future use. However, for a start, the data from two years of the leopard's life will be documented and decrypted. Volna was released in North Ossetia on the territory of the Alania National Park in 2018 as part of the Leopard Restoration (Reintroduction) Program in the Caucasus, developed by experts from the World Fund for Nature and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS (IEE RAS) in 2005. Thanks to the satellite collar, which is put on each leopard before being released into nature, scientists were able to observe the movement of the predator and record cases of successful hunting. According to the monitoring results, it can be said that the female has adapted to life in the wild perfectly.   The satellite collar was found on October 7, 2020 in the Urvan region of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic by the inspector of the Hunting Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the KBR Amirkhan Mazikhov and promptly transferred through the head of the Department, Marat Chechnov, to World Fund for Nature Russia. It is difficult to say when exactly the self-resetting of the device worked, but it is worth noting that, despite its appearance, after two years of operation in extreme conditions, the device is in a satisfactory condition and can be reused. In addition, the find is of great importance to scientists and the Central Asian Leopard Restoration Program as a whole. In the near future, specialists from the IEE RAS will decipher the data from the collar, which it has been collecting for two years. “In addition to the complete track of the animal's movement, the collar will provide information about its activity at every minute of time, i.e. it will become clear whether Volna was running, sitting still, walking calmly, etc. Thanks to this, scientists will have access to unique data on the behavior of the animal at different terrain and altitude. An analysis of all the data will give a more complete picture of the animal's life for a sufficiently long time after release”, explains Valery Shmunk, Director of the World Fund for Nature Representation in the Russian Caucasus ecoregion.   “Collar self-resetting has two important functions. First, it saves the animal from wearing an already inoperative device. It also allows us to directly receive data that is too "heavy" for transmission via satellite, such as measurements of acceleration sensors along three axes. They show in detail the precise activity of the animal and will allow, when decoding, to determine the rhythm of the leopard's life, and this makes it possible to assess changes in the energy consumption of the leopard in different seasons - the snowless period and the winter. It is very interesting. Volna’s collar was programmed to reset on 06/30/2020. If there is no serious damage done to it, then decrypting the data will not be a long procedure for us, and we are looking forward to its results - commented Jose Antonio Hernandez-Blanco, senior researcher at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus is being implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia with the participation of the Sochi National Park, the Caucasian Reserve, the World Fund for Nature, the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), A.K. Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories RAS, Moscow Zoo, with the assistance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). VTB Bank provides financial support for the monitoring of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus. In North Ossetia, RusHydro provides financial support for the population recovery program. Topical materials: North Caucasus portal: "Leopard Female Volna Escaped Surveillance in the KBR Mountains"

Released animals are increasingly mastering the territory, and increasing the area of their habitat and hunting grounds. As such, in the Caucasian reserve, Laba has covered 138 km since the release, 56 km over the past month. However, she is very careful and since August 20 has never moved more than 6.5 km from the place where she was released. She has not claimed more territory than 25 square kilometers. The maximum height that the young leopardess conquered in the Caucasian Reserve is 2,761 meters above sea level. Unfortunately, the collar of the male Kodor released with her stopped transmitting information a month ago. There is a hope that everything is in order with the animal, either a malfunction of the collar or the data transmission unit being damaged in a fight with prey. In the near future, a specially equipped field team is moving out to search for the leopard or its collar in the region where the signal of its radio beacon was last heard. The animals released in North Ossetia spent most of the past month in the vast forest area where the Turmon reserve is located. Since the release, Agura has covered a distance of 168 km, of which 121 km over the past month. Like Laba, she is very careful and does not tend to move too far from the place of release - the maximum distance she moved away from it is 20.5 km. Agura made no attempts to conquer the peaks - she preferred to stay no higher than 1100 meters above sea level, mastering a vast area in the valley green zone, the area of which is currently 224 sq km. Baksan is much more active than Agura in his craving for knowledge of unknown lands, since the release he covered 263 km, 190 km of which in September. The area that Baksan mastered after release is 314.6 sq km. The maximum height from which he could survey the expanses of Ossetia was 2,924 meters above sea level. At the same time, Baksan considers it necessary to periodically return to the place where he was released and has never gone further than 16.5 km from it. All leopards are still in the protected areas where they were released. Only Baksan went outside the Turmon reserve twice, but did not go further than 1.5 km from its borders. He was captured by a video camera from a car when he was crossing the road. During September the animals hunted for prey on their own. Over the past month, three hunts have been registered near Laba in the Caucasian Reserve, during a field check on the spot, experts have confirmed the remains of two chamois and one deer. There is no information on the prey of Kodor because of the mentioned problem with the collar. Three confirmed hunts of Agura were recorded in North Ossetia, with a raccoon dog and two fat badgers. During the past period Baksan also caught two raccoon dogs, a badger and one feral dog roaming in the forest. Over the entire period since the release, there have never been any meetings of released leopards with each other. The average distance that Agura holds relative to Baksan is about 18.5 km. The Central Asian leopards raised at the Leopard Restoration Center in the Caucasus of the Sochi National Park and released into the wild are just the first steps towards creating a new population: there should be at least 50 leopards in the North Caucasus. All animals are specially tested, they know how to hunt wild ungulates and avoid encounters with humans. The program for the restoration of the Central Asian leopard in the Caucasus is being implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia with the participation of the Sochi National Park, the Caucasian Reserve, the World Fund for Nature , the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), A.K. Tembotov Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEGT RAS), the Moscow Zoo, with the assistance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). Leopard monitoring is carried out with the financial support of VTB Bank. In North Ossetia, RusHydro provides financial support for the population recovery program. Author of the image: Chitoev K.

State inspectors of the Russian Arctic National Park Vadim Zakharyin, Vladimir Alsufiev and Oleg Valkov spoke about the unusual story of the Umka polar bear cub, which they witnessed. Let us remind you that the inspectors of the Russian Arctic are now completing the field season in the southern cluster of the national park, at Cape Zhelaniya. It is planned that in the second half of October the polar explorers will return to the mainland. The story of a bear cub, who was lost and was looking for his family, was told by the head of the Cape Zhelaniya field base, senior state inspector Vadim Zakharyin. “It all started in early September, an adolescent bear started coming to our house. At that time, biologists of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution were still working with us on Novaya Zemlya - says Vadim Zakharyin, - Scientists immediately determined the age of the adolescent bear, and were sure that he was lost: at this age bears do not wander alone. The inspectors had seen this cub before, along with a female bear and another adolescent bear, much further south, at Cape Serebryanikov, while patrolling the area. Why Umka, as the polar explorers called the lost bear, left the family, they do not know. The inspectors went to take the cub under their protection, because adult males constantly tried to attack the young bear. “Not far from our base, a dead beluga whale was thrown ashore, and the bear cub was feeding on it,” says the head of the polar station. “However, several adult bears attempted to feed on it along with Umka. Once we even had to run to save the cub, to scare away the other bears from Umka, who began to attack him." Umka's story was concluded with a happy reunion with his mother.  “We woke up one morning, looked out the window to check on our Umka, and saw that next to him on the shore there was a large female with another bear cub,” says Oleg Valkov, the state inspector of the Russian Artic National Park. We do not know whether it was the mother is our bear cub, or just a passing female with a young of the year, but the three of them began to stick together and it was evident that they were getting used to each other. " Now all three bears live together, and even try pay a visit the inspectors. “We are glad that Umka found a family, we leave him with confidence that everything will work out for him,” summed up Vadim Zakharyin.   Photo V. Zakharyin

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/  

The expedition of the Arctic Scientific Center of the Rosneft Company together with the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Center for Marine Research of Moscow State University returned to Arkhangelsk. The scientists worked from August to September on the protected archipelagos of Franz Josef Land (North cluster of the Park) and Novaya Zemlya (South cluster of the Park) in order to continue the study of marine mammals living in the Russian Arctic. The tasks of the expedition included clarification of the current state of the species, as well as the introduction of new methods for studying animals in the protected areas. According to the head of the expedition, leading engineer of the IEE RAS, Svetlana Artemyeva, the work was divided into two thematic sections: the study of the Atlantic subspecies of the walrus and the study of the polar bear. “To assess the state of the species in protected areas, we surveyed 26 islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago and the Oranskie Islands of Novaya Zemlya. In preparation for the expedition, our group gathered information about approximately twenty potential locations of large walrus rookeries. Not all locations were confirmed. Thus, we did not find walruses at Cape Ostantsovoy on Hayes Island, although walruses usually lay there; we did not find walruses at Cape Frankfurt on Gall Island or on Adelaide Island. But we managed to find a new burrow on Jackson Island, where our colleagues set up a camera trap to watch the animals,” said Svetlana Artemyeva. Unmanned aerial vehicles were used for animal counting during the expedition. According to scientists, the Geoscan apparatus performed well, with the help of which it was possible to create 3D models of the islands of the ZFI archipelago, as well as small drones necessary for monitoring the number of walruses and for tracking polar bears. For the first time in the "Russian Arctic", hydrobiological studies were carried out aimed at studying the nutrition of walruses in rookeries. To maximize the reliability of the information, underwater operations were monitored using special surveillance cameras. The expedition used the methods of satellite tagging of animals. In the Franz Josef Land archipelago, scientists have installed satellite tags on walruses on the islands of Eva Liv, Jackson, Northbrook and the Dead Seal Island. A group of biologists led by a senior researcher at IEE RAS Ph.D. Ilya Mordvintsev was able to study six polar bears on Novaya Zemlya. This year, in addition to the traditional blood sampling of animals for genetics and viral diseases, samples were taken for the presence of heavy metals and other pollutants. “We are working for the third time at Cape Zhelaniya in the South Sector of the Park. It will be interesting to compare the results obtained with the previous ones. Visually, we noted that this time the animals were in a more satisfactory condition than in previous years. Despite the fact that the bears had been on a meager summer diet for three months, which mainly consisted of grass and algae, all the individuals we observed were doing well,” said Ilya Mordvintsev. The scientists noted that all research methods used in the expedition were minimally invasive and did not stress the animals. “Scientists track the behavior of walruses and bears after satellite tracking tags are installed on them,” comments Alexander Kirilov, director of the Russian Arctic National Park. “According to experts, after working with them, all individuals remained in their habitats. We are pleased that animals are not stressed and that they do not move through the protected areas as a result of human intervention." During the expedition, scientists installed 10 automatic photo recorders to monitor the state of the Atlantic walrus rookeries. “Combining animal counting using satellite tracking, using unmanned aerial vehicles and studying their food supply can reveal patterns in the distribution of species in protected areas,” says Ivan Mizin, Deputy Director for Scientific Work, Ph.D., “This approach is very relevant: the less we disturb the natural environments, the more we understand the natural processes occurring in them. " Next year, the expedition of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Center of Marine Research of Moscow State University on the territory of the Russian Arctic National Park will continue.