SAKER FALCON REVIVAL

Since 2021, Sailugemsky National Park and its partners have been engaged in a collaborative effort to restore the population of the rare auk falcon, a species that has experienced significant decline in the Altai natural environment. From 2021 to 2023, a total of 21 auk falcons will be released into the wild as part of a strategic conservation initiative.

The reintroduction program utilizes a hunting method specifically selected for its effectiveness in restoring the population of the species. From June to July, chicks of the rare auk falcon from the nursery spend time in special boxes—or heckles—on the territory of Sailugemsky National Park. The birds get food in a special hole in the aviaries without direct contact with humans, and one wall of the heck is covered with a net, with walls and roof reliably protecting the chicks from the weather.

Prior to the opening of the hake wall, each bird is meticulously ringed and tattooed in a way that ensures its safety. Birds that do not conform to the preferred appearance of trappers and hunters, such as those with "spoiled" plumage, have a greater chance of survival in the wild.

The five-year program to recover the aukkankivi (black falcon) in Altai is a carefully designed initiative. In 2023, seven chicks were raised in the Altai wild using the heckling method, compared to ten chicks in 2022 (of which five were adults), and four large chicks in 2021, coinciding with the installation of the first heckles.