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The Status and Management of the Mongolian Gazelle Procapra Gutturosa Population

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The Status and Management of the Mongolian Gazelle Procapra Gutturosa Population ORYX VOL 31 NO 2 APRIL 1997 The status and management of the Mongolian gazelle Procapra gutturosa population Badamjavin Lhagvasuren and E. J. Milner-Gulland This article presents data on the ecology, exploitation and management of the Mongolian gazelle over the last few decades. The species has suffered a massive decline in its range area, coinciding with the construction of the Ulaanbaatar-Beijing railway in the 1950s. It is heavily hunted, both legally and illegally. Threats to the species are outlined and recommendations made about the conservation measures required to secure its future. Introduction gazelles is now to be found in Mongolia itself. The range is now about 190,000 sq km, 24 per Of the 14 species of ungulate inhabiting cent of its range 50 years ago (Figure 1). The Mongolia, the Mongolian gazelle Procapra gut- species is found in large numbers in only four turosa has the largest population, both in aimacs (provinces): Dornod, Khentii, Sukhbaatar terms of numbers and range area. It is a typi- and Dornogobi. In Umnugobi small herds are cal representative of the dry steppe and plain, scattered over the Sevrey, Bayandalay and i.e. open areas, although in certain years it can Bulgan sums (smaller administrative centres); reach the southern edge of the mountain for- in Uverkhangai small herds are found in the est zone of Mongolia. The species resembles Guchin Us sum; in Dzavkhan in the Dorvoljin the goitred gazelle Gazella subgutturosa and sum; in Bayankhongor in the Bogd sum and in saiga Saiga tatarica, also inhabitants of the arid Gobi-Altai in the Khokhmorit sum. This large plains of Central Asia, in some aspects of its reduction in range area is a cause for concern. biology, including the presence of horns, Here we outline some of the reasons put for- which are borne only by males, of medium ward for this reduction and present data on size and lyrate in shape. When in peak con- the ecology and management of the popu- dition (November-December) a male weighs lation. We then make recommendations for on average 45 kg and a female 37 kg. the actions required to ensure the future se- Relatively recently the Mongolian gazelle curity of the species. was widely distributed in the regions of the Chuiskii Steppe (Kazakhstan), Daurian Steppe (Russian Federation) and the north-eastern Ecology of the Mongolian gazelle area of China as far south as the Huanhe River. The Mongolian gazelle's range was The plant communities of the Mongolian about 780,000 sq km in 1950, with a popu- steppe have their maximum productivity at lation of at least 1.5 million (Bannikov, 1954; the end of July and beginning of August, pro- Figure 1). Now, however, it has completely ducing 450-700 kg dry mass per ha. The new disappeared from the Russian Federation and growth of vegetation starts at the end of May only a small number remain in a limited area to the end of June, at the same time as the of China. Thus, it is listed as a disappearing gazelles' mass parturition period. At this time species in the Red Data Book of the Russian the grass has its highest nutritional value, the Federation. The vast majority of Mongolian protein content reaches its maximum level, © 1997 FFI, Oryx, 31 (2), 127-134 127 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.229, on 26 Sep 2021 at 14:52:03, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3008.1997.d01-6.x B. LHAGVASUREN AND E. J. MILNER-GULLAND and the biomass is 150-250 kg/ha (Lushchekina average harem size is 13 females to one male. et ah, 1985). In June the Mongolian gazelle's A male is sexually mature at the age of 2.5 diet consists of 21 species of plant: cereals years, and a female at 1.5 years. Females (Stipa spp., Cleistogenes squarrosa) and onions gather in huge herds during the birth period, (Allium spp.) are preferred. Leymus chinensis, when 40,000 animals can remain for 2 weeks Artemisia spp. and Caragana spp. are also in an area of 35 sq km. Females usually give favoured by the gazelle. About 80 per cent of birth from mid-June to mid-July but the vari- the stomach contents in August are onions ance is such that, in 1981 births were over by 2 (Lushchekina, 1990). Experiments on food di- June, in 1982 births occurred from 25 June to gestion and food value have shown that the 12 July, and in 1983 they started on 2 July. mean amount of food consumed by young However, about 90 per cent of females giving gazelles in July-August is 570 ± 19.5 g or 64.5 birth do so over a period of only 4-7 days ± 0.96 g/kg of live weight. The digestibility of (Lushchekina, 1990), and Tsagaan (1980) ob- steppe grasses for the gazelle is 84.2 ±1.1 per served that 60-70 per cent of the females gave cent (Petrischev et ah, 1990). birth at the beginning of July. The gestation The Mongolian gazelle is a strongly period is 180-200 days. In good years 60-85 seasonal breeder, although breeding dates per cent of females give birth, usually to one, vary quite widely from year to year, depend- and seldom to two, lambs. However, Ganzorig ing principally on the climate in the previous and Dash (1982) recorded only 40 per cent of year. The rutting season usually starts on 15 females giving birth. The percentage of twins November and continues until the first week is 2.5-8.2 per cent (Ganzorig and Dash, 1982; of February. The gazelle is polygynous. One Lhagvasuren, 1985; Lushchekina, 1990). male can mate with 6-25 females, but the Lactation finishes at the end of November. r RUSSIA Chuiskii Steppe \ Beijing Figure 1. Map of Mongolia, showing the range of the Mongolian gazelle and places mentioned in the text; a, the boundary of the 1940s range area; b, the present-day range area; c, the Eastern Steppe National Park; d, major gazelle birth areas; e, the probable boundary of the 1940s range area outside Mongolia. 128 © 1997 FFI, Oryx, 31 (2), 127-134 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.229, on 26 Sep 2021 at 14:52:03, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3008.1997.d01-6.x STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE MONGOLIAN GAZELLE The annual rate of population increase has Table 1. The number of Mongolian gazelles been observed to be 19-29 per cent in recent estimated to have died from disease, 1974-1994 years, with factors such as climate, disease Year Numbers and hunting affecting the figure from year to year (Lhagvasuren, 1985, 1990; Lushchekina, 1974 140,000 1990). 1980 15,000 A distinguishing feature of the Mongolian 1983 40,000 gazelle is its permanent nomadism, as is also 1984 2,000 observed in saiga. Only in the birth and rut- 1985 20,000 ting seasons do they stay in particular places 1986 15,000 1989 5,000 for a short time. In the winter gazelles prefer 1991 3,000 to stay in areas with patchy snow or near 1993 15,000-20,000 water sources. A proportion of the population 1994 3,000 migrates across the Mongolia-China border every year, moving to Mongolia in August- Data for 1974 from Dash and Sokolov (1986), the October and back to China in March-April rest are from B. Lhagvasuren. (Tsagaan, 1980). The maximum herd size that has been observed is about 80,000 animals and and Luvsantseren, 1996). Places where high is seen during the spring (May) and autumn losses of Mongolian gazelles from Pasteurella (September-October) migrations. During mi- infections have been recorded have been gration gazelles can easily cover 40-80 km per found to coincide with areas with abnormally day. Unfortunately, the direction, frequency high molybdenum levels in onions, which are and other important features of the Mongolian the gazelles' favourite food in summer and gazelle's migration pattern are still unknown. autumn. These data suggest the possibility The main predators of the Mongolian that abnormalities in environmental chemistry gazelle are wolves, dogs and steppe eagles. can be a cause of Pasteurella infections Manul Felis manul and red fox Vulpes vulpes (Rothschild et ah, 1988). Influenza is a big can catch lambs just after birth. In the winter problem among Mongolian wildlife. Although the wolf is the major predator, especially after no clear epidemic has been reported in rutting when males have lost energy and are Mongolian gazelles, serological investigations unable to run for long. The distribution of the carried out in 1979-82 found antibodies to 14 gazelle is greatly influenced by the activity of different strains of the influenza virus in the the vole Lasiopodomys bmndtii. For example, in Mongolian gazelle. One of these strains was the last 10 years a large increase in the L. known to have been the cause of a recent epi- brandtii population has destroyed a huge area demic (Lushchekina et ah, 1988). of pasture in Sukhbaatar and Dornod Climatic conditions are an important factor provinces and the gazelles have disappeared in gazelle population dynamics. Severe win- from these areas and moved north. ters (called dzhuts) kill thousands of animals at Periodical epidemics, state hunting and irregular intervals, with the average interval poaching have also had a big influence on the being 7 years since reliable records started in decline in the number of gazelles.
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