Free forest reindeer in the Kerzhensky Reserve have their first offspring

As part of the project to restore the population of wild forest reindeer in the Kerzhensky Reserve (the Nizhny Novgorod Region), since 2020, grown offspring have been released into the wild. 

This May, for the first time, deer cubs were born to young females Vesta and Dina, the Roszapovedtsentr of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia reported on its website.

“These are the first deer in the free herd. This is a breakthrough! Since 2020, we have been releasing male juveniles into the wild. And in the fall of last year, several females were released from the enclosure into the territory of the reserve. The rut was successful, the winter passed without loss for the animals. In May of this year, young two-three-year-old deer brought offspring. We hope that the successful experience will be continued in the future,” said Tatyana Gorodnicheva, deputy director of the Kerzhensky Reserve.

Camera traps donated to the reserve by the Revival of Nature Charitable Foundation helped to learn about the birth of deer and establish the dates of their birth.
Using photo and video materials, specialists also managed to track the condition of mothers and five babies.