State inspectors have completed a 2.5-month-long winter animal route census at Udege Legend National Park in an area measuring 72,763 hectares. The inspectors covered a total of 304 km of routes.

The 2013-2014 pre-census period was an unfavorable one for the park wildlife on account of a crop failure of their main source of food. In autumn, hoofed mammals fell back on horsetail earlier than usual and migrated to neighboring territories. Nevertheless, the census revealed that the number of boar, roe deer, Far Eastern red deer, and musk deer remained the same or even slightly increased.

The decline in hunting pressure on the neighboring territories has led to an increase in the number of otters and minks. (The demand for their fur on the market has fallen.) The census team also spotted footprints of the Amur tiger. Six tigers – one more than last year – were found to inhabit the park.

The number of squirrels, Siberian striped weasels, hares, sables, lynxes and foxes has also increased somewhat by comparison with 2013. Bears are the last species on the census table. They were counted in the latter half of April, but the counting was over much earlier than in previous years because of an unusually warm spring. There are 11 brown bears and 14 Himalayan black bears in the park.

Photo: Taking the winter census