In the Great Gobi B SPA, twelve goitered gazelles – 6 males and females in 3 different areas – were captured and are now wearing GPS solar collars. The data will provide the Great Gobi B SPA with much needed information on this beautiful gazelle species in the plains of the protected area.
The project is supported by the following organisations:
Lena Michler is since June 2024 the Managing Director of ITG Europe.
She continues her work focused on the socio-economic topics but is also taking over the management of the operational tasks of ITG. She is coordinating between the ITG Bureau and the ITG Mongolia team.
Happy to announce: the first Takhi-foal of 2024 in the Great Gobi B SPA is born on April 19th! As a result of the successful reintroduction and the Takhi growing wild again, the newborn can only be seen from far away or through the telescope until now.
The Takhi are well, also due to the pasture of the Gobi B, which is very good and nourishing this year. Rangers have observed about 60-70 pregnant mares: there are many more Takhi-foals to come this year!
Foto: Altansukh Nanjid
The topics and challenges of the ITG cover a wide field, from the application for a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the health monitoring of wild and domestic animals and training for rangers to various research projects. Read what’s going on in the Gobi B in the latest Takhi Post.
This year’s ITG-Workshop was under the motto “New Strategies”. We hosted the workshop in the building “Fauna” in the wildlife park Bruderhaus in Winterthur, Switzerland. The Mongolian delegation arrived with two participants from the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), the director of the Great Gobi B and the ITG executive director of Mongolia. The ITG board members also welcomed participants from the Frankfurt Zoological Society, partner zoos (Nurenberg and Berlin), and the Hanns-Seidel Foundation. During three days new strategies for the Great Gobi B were discussed concerning the protected area management, environmental and social challenges, the one-health approach, and the takhi management in the future. New ideas were created, ongoing activities evaluated and deepened further and the takhi in Winterthur were observed with a smile on our faces. Currently, around 260 of this unique species are roaming in the Gobi steppe.
The current Dzud winter (extremely harsh winter event) in Mongolia is all over the international news. Although, the Great Gobi B was hit by a Dzud this winter, the takhi are doing well. The winter was very snowy with up to 60 cm of snow cover in the Gobi for several months. But due to good hay reserves and sufficient winter feeding, only three takhi died so far.
During the first days of 2024 it was snowing continuously. The snow cover in the plain measures about 10 cm, whereas in the mountain areas it reaches up to 40 cm. In order to avoid the Takhi getting weak, rangers are monitoring the Takhi and bring them hay to the Gobi B – hard work!
In winter, life is hard for the animals in the Great Gobi B. Nevertheless for rangers and photographers it becomes easier to spot even rare animals in the snow. Enjoy more beautiful pictures taken by Buyantogtohk Dorjbat in the Gobi B during the last days on Facebook.
Photo credits: Buyantogtohk Dorjbat
Are you still looking for a special Christmas-present for your loved ones? What about adopting a Takhi-foal? With this symbolic contribution you will help the entire Takhi population in the Great Gobi B. You will receive a certificate and, if you wish, the foal will get the name of your choice.
