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Berg L.S. (1938). Fauna.
Abstract: It provides description of fauna of the Central Asia mountains. Ibex (Capra sibirica) was noticed to keep to the alpine and sub-alpine zone and never descends bellow 2,500 m. Hunting for ibex and wild sheep, snow leopard (Leopardus uncia) keeps at the same elevation.
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Kuznetzov B.A. (1963). Materials on mammal fauna in Central Asia. Central Asian mountainous province.
Abstract: It provides a list of mammals of Central Asia (species and sub-species) indicating their main habitats, and undertakes an attempt to zone fauna of Central Asia based on data collected by the world science community concerning distribution of various mammal species over the country. Snow leopard Uncia uncia Schr. was indicated to inhabit the mountains of Central Asia.
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Bobrinskiy N.A. (1946). Mountains of Central Asia.
Abstract: A general description of fauna complexes of Central Asia's mountains (Djungar Ala-Tau, Tien-Shan, Gissar, Pamir, Kopet-Dag, Greater Balkhans) is given. A review of main animal groups and an attempt to zone fauna of Central Asia's mountains are made. Fauna of Central Asia's highlands with its specific variety of species (snow leopard, ibex, argali, snow cock and others) is western outpost of Inner Asia's mountain fauna. Snow leopard inhabits highlands of Djungar Ala-Tau, East and West Tien Shan, Bukhara and East Pamir.
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Farrington, J. (2005). A Report on Protected Areas, Biodiversity, and Conservation in the Kyrgyzstan Tian Shan with Brief Notes on the Kyrgyzstan Pamir-Alai and the Tian Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and China. Ph.D. thesis, , Kyrgyzstan.
Abstract: Kyrgyzstan is a land of towering mountains, glaciers, rushing streams, wildflowercovered meadows, forests, snow leopards, soaring eagles, and yurt-dwelling nomads. The entire nation lies astride the Tian Shan1, Chinese for “Heavenly Mountains”, one of the world's highest mountain ranges, which is 7439 m (24,400 ft) in elevation at its highest point. The nation is the second smallest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics. In
spite of Kyrgyzstan's diverse wildlife and stunning natural beauty, the nation remains little known, and, as yet, still on the frontier of international conservation efforts. The following report is the product of 12 months of research into the state of conservation and land-use in Kyrgyzstan. This effort was funded by the Fulbright Commission of the U.S. State Department, and represents the most recent findings of the author's personal environmental journey through Inner Asia, which began in 1999. When I first started my preliminary research for this project, I was extremely surprised to learn that, even though the Tian Shan Range has tremendous ecological significance for conservation efforts in middle Asia, there wasn't a single major international conservation organization with an office in the former Soviet Central Asian republics. Even more surprising was how little awareness there is of conservation issues in the Tian Shan region amongst conservation workers in neighboring areas who are attempting to preserve similar species assemblages and ecosystems to those found in the Tian Shan. Given this lack of awareness, and the great potential for the international community to make a positive contribution towards improving the current state of biodiversity conservation in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, I have summarized my findings on protected areas and conservation in Kyrgyzstan and the Tian Shan of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang in the chapters below. The report begins with some brief background information on geography and society in the Kyrgyz Republic, followed by an overview of biodiversity and the state of conservation in the nation, which at the present time closely parallels the state of conservation in the other former Soviet Central Asian republics. Part IV of the report provides a catalog of all major protected areas in Kyrgyzstan and the other Tian Shan nations, followed by a list of sites in Kyrgyzstan that are as yet unprotected but merit protection. In the appendices the reader will find fairly comprehensive species lists of flora and fauna found in the Kyrgyz Republic, including lists of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, trees and shrubs, wildflowers, and endemic plants. In addition, a
draft paper on the history and current practice of pastoral nomadism in Kyrgyzstan has been included in Appendix A. While the research emphasis for this study was on eastern Kyrgyzstan, over the course of the study the author did have the opportunity to make brief journeys to southern Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. While falling short of being a definitive survey of protected areas of the Tian Shan, the informational review which
follows is the first attempt at bringing the details of conservation efforts throughout the entire Tian Shan Range together in one place. It is hoped that this summary of biodiversity and conservation in the Tian Shan will generate interest in the region amongst conservationists, and help increase efforts to protect this surprisingly unknown range that forms an island of meadows, rivers, lakes, and forests in the arid heart of Asia.
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Zhou, S. (1991). On “uncia uncia” and “meng ji” in Shan Hai Jin (Vol. 13).
Abstract: Meng ji is described in Shan Hui Jin (Classic of Mountains and Rivers) as a leopard-like animal adept in hiding with white fur and a patterned forehead. This article makes a comparison between “meng ji” and “uncia uncia” in terms of their shapes, fur colors, natural environments of habitats, habits, characteristics and native areas, and comes to the conclusion that “meng ji” is what we call “uncia uncia” nowadays. The description of “meng ji” in Shan Hui Jin should be the first record of Uncia uncia in the world.
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Yakhontov A.A. (1950). Fauna of mountains.
Abstract: Ibex, whose population has reduced due to over-hunting, inhabits the alpine meadow zone in Uzbekistan. Ibex had entirely disappeared in some areas. Wild sheep, a common inhabitant of the alpine zone, has drastically decreased in number. Marhur can still be found in the mountains of Kugitang and Babatang. Wild sheep is a common species for the alpine zone. Predator animals such as snow leopard, bear, and sometimes wolf and fox can be found in this zone. A typical inhabitant of highlands is marmot an object of fur-trade.
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Xu, F., Ming, M., Yin, S. -jing, Chundawat R.S., Marden, & Nui, Y. (2006). Preliminary Study on the Habitat Selection of Uncia uncia (Vol. 23).
Abstract: Uncia uncia is one of the rare large species on the brink of extinction in Felidae in the world, and inhabit only the Central Asian mountains. It is said that there are currently only 4500-7300 Uncia uncia surviving. During the period from September 2004 to July 2005, the habitat selection of Uncia uncia was investigated in some mountains in Xinjiang, including the eastern Tianshan Mountains, Beita Mountains, Altay Mounts and Mount Tumor National Nature Reserve. In several months of fieldwork, we got 171 sign samples of Uncia uncia and 123 random samples in total. Five habitat features, i.e., the elevation, topographic features, vegetation type, grazing status and ruggedness, are selected to compare the difference of selectivity of the Uncia uncia habitat selection. The Chi-square goodness-of-fit test and the binomial test are used to check the significance of Uncia uncia habitat selection, and the principal component analysis is used to find the primary factors in in the selection. The result s are as follows : (1) Uncia uncia selected all kinds of the habitat types , especially the elevation , topography , vegetation types and ruggedness ; (2) Ruggedness and the vegetation types are the preliminary factors for the habitat selection. Topography is the secondary factor ; (3) Uncia uncia prefer to inhabit in the rugged habitat s with moderate shrubberies , and they also like to leave signs in valley bottoms rather than hillsides.
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Formozov A.N. (1987). Fauna of mountainous areas in Kazakhstan.
Abstract: The author provides description of fauna of Kazakhstan's mountainous areas. Fauna of the mountain taiga is also typical for the forests of South Siberia. Ungulate species such as musk deer and ibex are common for rocky taiga areas. In the Altai, ibex, musk deer, and wild sheep are preyed on by dhole and snow leopard and more typical species such as glutton and wolf. Ibex, argali, and irbis are typical for Transili Ala-Tau and West Tien Shan. Tien Shan is the only area of the USSR with quite many irbis preserved. The ridges of this mountainous area located in Kazakhstan are very likely to be an area the most densely populated by snow leopards within the predator's habitat.
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Voronov A.G. (1985). Predatory mammals.
Abstract: Predatory mammal in mountains are submitted by widely widespread species, such, as wolves, to a lynx and bears, and characteristic species for the high mountains, well adapted to mountain conditions and not going down below Alpine zone (a snow leopard, or irbis, occupying mountains of the Central Asia, etc.).
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Shnitnikov V.N. (1934). Rocks and taluses. Alpine meadows. Economic value of local animals (Vol. Part. 1. South Kazakhstan.).
Abstract: It reviews fauna of rocks, taluses, and alpine meadows of South Kazakhstan. The most typical mammal of rocks and taluses are picas (I¤hotona rutila and I. macrotis), ibex (¥…dr… sibirica), and snow leopard (Felis irbis). Besides, snow leopard, along with Tien Shan bear (Ursus l†u¤Œn¢o), ibex, mountain wolf (¥uŒn alpinus) and others, is met in the alpine meadow zone. Zoo-export of snow leopards to the zoos does not result in extermination of the animals but generates income. Various animal species are subject to trade as zoos do not limit their collections with some specific species or groups; quite the contrary they are interested in obtaining each species. Valuable animals exported from Kazakhstan are tiger, snow leopard, Tien-Shan bear, argali, and mountain wolf. The latter costs 1,000 roubles in gold, and argali even 1,500 roubles.
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