In early February 2016 there was winter route of animal counting in the reserve. It was attended by state inspectors, research workers of the reserve, employees of the department of environmental education and educational tourism and also volunteers.

Winter route counting is an obligatory procedure that allows to determine the number of different species of animals in the territory of the reserve. The technique is based on counting the tracks left by animals on the snow for some time. Comparison of data from different years allows to trace the dynamics of populations.

It is not an easy task for accountants — not only to ski the long route on virgin snow making their way through the thicket of trees, and not to go stray with the route, but to be able to distinguish the trail of the European mink from the marten trail, or the trail of sika deer from the trail of the European deer.

Such an event requires the simultaneous participation of many people, so on February 6 all experienced employees of the reserve who know animal tracks and can properly carry out winter account skied together. On the whole they overcame more than 100 km.

This year on the route there were marked animal tracks typical for South of the Moscow region as wild boar, elk, roe deer, fox, white and brown hare, marten, as well as traces of rare species for this area: lynx and otter.

All data collected during the account is being processed by the research workers of the reserve. In addition, experts determine the daily variation of different animal species that will allow us to calculate their exact number in the highly protected area.

Senior inspector A.G. Kuznetsov

District inspector A. A. Gavrikov