ASU releases Red Book falcons of dark morph into the wild

20 December 2018 Department of Information and Media Communications
On December 19, a campaign to release unique Red Book falcons into the wild took place in the suburbs of Barnaul. The birds were born in the nursery of Altai Falcon rare birds laboratory under the South Siberian Botanical Garden of the flagship Altai State University.

The campaign was organized by ASU Endowment Fund in cooperation with Altai-Falcon rare birds laboratory as part of the Saker Falcon Population Restoration project, which won the Endowment Capital Growth Strategy competition organized by Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation.

Four saker falcons were released into the wild – two females and two males, three of which are of rare dark morph that has practically disappeared in the wild nature. Nursery specialists taught them hunting skills and prepared them for life in the wild.

“This is the third project implemented by the Endowment Fund of Altai State University. The first one was devoted to academic mobility, in the framework of which students of ASU received an opportunity to undergo research internships abroad. In the course of the second project laboratory equipment was purchased for the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center and today we are presenting the third project implemented jointly with Altai-Falcon rare birds laboratory,” project developer, executive director of the Endowment Fund, deputy head of the Department for the Implementation of Commercial Projects and Social Programs at ASU Sergey V. Ezdin said. “To date, the population of saker falcons in the wild has declined significantly. This bird is listed in the first category of endangered species in the Red Book of Altai Krai and the second category in the Red Book of Russia. Our Altai-Falcon laboratory has been engaged in the breeding of these rare birds and their release into the wild for more than ten years.”

It remains to add that the campaign was attended by representatives of controlling environmental units, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Altai Krai, representatives of public organizations, volunteers and students.

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