Conservation of Endangered Animal Species

The great bustard is the inhabitant of the steppe zone of Eurasia. At first, human activities increased population of the great bustard but later on intense hunting and plowing of the steppes put the species on the brink of extinction. Their nests can be found in fields. These birds often leave their nests because of restless environment; many eggs and chicks die under the wheels of agricultural machinery.

The habitat of Pygmy cormorants includes lakes, floodplains and river deltas with dense thickets of reeds and willows. Pygmy cormorants are excellent divers. They often have to wait until their plumage is dry again because it usually gets wet after hunting in the water area. These birds dry their plumage by taking an interesting pose: stretching out their long necks and spreading their wings. The main causes of the population decrease are water pollution and the lack of fish.

Altai snowcocks prefer high mountainous environments. Despite its appearance, Altai snowcocks can be extraordinarily nimble and quick. These birds can easily climb the hills using wings and strong calloused feet. Harsh environment of high mountains in summer (snowfalls and low temperatures at night) cause the population decrease. The hunting of Altai snowcocks is prohibited.

Gyrfalcons are the most northerly birds of prey and the largest species among falcons. Gyrfalcons mostly feed on willow ptarmigans. Gyrfalcons are very strong, they are able to rapidly fly up and kill their prey even in flight. The main reasons of decreasing population are poaching and the arctic foxes traps. Illegal trapping and trade of gyrfalcons are stimulated by their high value as hunting birds.

It is impossible to confuse the red-breasted goose with any other bird. It has a very exquisite appearance and became the symbol of international ornithological congress in Moscow in 1982. The images of red-breasted geese were found on ancient Egyptian frescoes. Red-breasted geese have been highly valued for a long time and often were kept in captivity. In the XVIIIth century “the red geese” were brought from Siberia according to imperial decrees. This species has a very limited habitat and breed only in Russia. In 1992 a commemorative coin of 10 rubbles nominal value with an image of a red-breasted goose was issued by the Central Bank of Russia.

The bird got its name due to unusual plumage that looks like marble: sandy-brown color with light spots. In Russia the species habitat is not varied, it includes the Pricaspian region and the Volga Delta. It mainly caused by human activities (agricultural land development, diversion of water for irrigation and drainage of wetlands). Although marbled duck hunting is prohibited in Russia, these birds are still endangered because hunters can’t always identify the marbled duck in flight.

Poaching is the main reason for the inclusion of this species in the Russian Red Data Book. There is a significant difference between the lesser white-fronted goose and the greater white-fronted goose: the lesser white-fronted geese are smaller and have a large white spot on their foreheads reaching their crown. These birds often become the hunters’ prey. This species is known for a subtle squeak during the flight. The birds nest in the Northern mountainous taiga region, and spend winter in the southern regions. The lesser white-fronted goose spend almost half of their lives in the air, they can cover almost 8 th km per year.

The characteristic features of these large ducks are a white head with black crown and a blue beak. White- headed ducks spend most of their life in the water; they almost never come ashore, because these ducks don’t walk well. They swim and dive wonderfully. White-headed ducks are reluctant to fly, in case of danger they prefer to escape by diving or hiding in the reeds. One of the reasons for the population decline is the destruction of natural habitats caused by human activities.

This predatory bird has a very unusual name. It reflects the peculiarity of this bird’s lifestyle which includes feeding on larvae of social hymenopterans, primarily wasps. A predator rakes a wasp nest, opens its cover and pulls out cells with delicious larvae. European honey buzzards are rare in all habitats. Many birds become the hunters’ prey during migration period over the southern Europe.

A Marbled polecat is a nocturnal predator. This animal inhabits the steppes and hills covered with bushes. The Latin name “vormela” has the German origin and means "little worm". Plowing of steppes and mass extermination of rodents (the main food of the species) brought this species to the brink of extinction.

The animal used to live on the vast territory, but under the influence of changing conditions this species went extinct in many places. Now the individual groups of Giant mole-rats have survived only in Russia and Kazakhstan. The animal’s fur has a unique feature: it can be equally combed in all directions which allows Giant mole-rats to move in any direction at the same speed.

The fur of this species is the most fluffy and thick among cats (9000 hairs per 1 square cm). The tips of hair are white which gives the impression that an animal is covered with snow. The animals are considered to be one of the most slow and clumsy among wild cats, in danger it prefers to hide or climb a rock. A Pallas's cat is a rare animal, and poaching rapidly decreases the population.