From February 12 to 16 of this year, employees of the Chita Research Institute of Veterinary Science of Eastern Siberia – Branch of the SFSCA RAS, V.G. Chernykh, E.V. Kiriltsov and A.M. Tretyakov, conducted a winter route survey of hunting resources in the assigned territory (the “Akademicheskoe” hunting farm).
The winter wildlife census is conducted in two stages. On the first day, a census taker follows a designated route and erases animal tracks. Next day, following the same route, they count fresh tracks of wild animals, recording these points on a GPS device and on paper. The total length of the routes is 105 km. The census revealed an increase in the numbers of elk, hare, lynx, red deer, and Siberian roe deer of approximately 7% over last year's figures, facilitated by well-organized protection of the area and the implementation of a comprehensive range of biotechnical measures.
Alongside with the registration, the institute's staff collected samples from wild animals for parasitological research, as part of the implementation of a state assignment.