Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fish
Rivers such as the Selenge, Orkhon, Zavkhan, Balj, Onon and Egiin, as well as dozens of
lakes, including Khövsgöl Nuur, hold 76 species of fish. They include trout, grayling
(khadran),
roach, lenok
(zebge),
Siberian sturgeon
(khilem),
pike
(tsurkhai),
perch
(al-
gana),
the endemic Altai osman and the enormous taimen, a Siberian relative of the sal-
mon, which can grow up to 1.5m in length and weigh up to 50kg.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
According to conservationists, 28 species of mammal are endangered in Mongolia.
The more commonly known species are wild asses, wild camels, argali sheep and
ibexes; others include otters, wolves, saiga antelopes and some species of jerboa.
The red deer is also in dire straits; over the past two decades its numbers have
plunged from 130,000 to around 20,000. Poachers also prize brown bears for their
gall bladders, which are used in traditional medicine. The mammal closest to ex-
tinction is the Gobi bear, the world's only desert-dwelling bear. With just 22
mazaalai(eight male, 14 female) left in the wild, they are in a precarious state.
Mongolia's government declared 2013 the 'Year of Saving the Mazaalai' and estab-
lished special reserves for the bears.
There are 22 species of endangered birds, including many species of hawk, fal-
con, buzzard, crane and owl. Every year the government exports around 150 fal-
cons; the major buyers are the royal families of Kuwait and the United Arab Emir-
ates. A licence for each bird costs around US$12,000. In the late 1990s the press
frequently reported stories of smugglers caught at the airport with falcons stuffed
in their overcoats (presumably many made it out without detection). The illegal ex-
port of these birds still occurs albeit on a much smaller scale. There are an estim-
ated 6800 breeding pairs left in Mongolia.
One positive news story is the resurrection of the takhiwild horse. The takhiwas
actually extinct in the wild in the 1960s. It has been successfully reintroduced into
three special protected areas after an extensive breeding program overseas. In
preserved areas of the mountains, about 1000 snow leopards remain. They are
hunted for their pelts (which are also part of some shamanist and Buddhist tradi-
tional practices), as are the leopards' major source of food, marmots.
Each year the government sells licences to hunt ibexes, argali, red deer, gazelles,
roe deer, wolves and other creatures. In 2012 the hunting permits netted the gov-
ernment T3.5 billion.
