Kyrgyzstan reintroduces extinct gazelles to the issyk-kul region

Biologist Askar Davletbakov and the Institute of Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic are restoring a population of gazelles in Kyrgyzstan.

The project began in 2021 when workers brought 15 gazelles from Uzbekistan to the country. By 2022, the team added 12 more individuals to the population. The animals live in 50 hectare enclosures on the shores of the Ordok-Uchar bay near Lake Issyk-Kul.

Davletbakov says the team successfully adapted these animals to the local climate and has already produced a fourth generation of offspring. The current population exceeds 70 individuals. Researchers use GPS collars to track the animals and monitor how they adapt to the wild. Last year, the team released 30 gazelles into the wild and plans to release another 20 soon.

Rangers protect the area from poachers, and the government supports the creation of a 16,000 hectare state reserve called Gazelle Ordo. Davletbakov aims to eventually reach a population of one million gazelles across multiple regions, including Batken and Talas.