Polyus is supporting a project to study a population of wild animals
Polyus is supporting a project to study a population of wild animals living in the Vitim Nature Reserve in the Bodaibo District. Feeding zones and trail cameras have been installed in several locations within the designated conservation area.
The cameras are already capturing the first images, with one of them showing a young deer feeding on sodium-rich soil. These deer need mineral salts in order to grow their horns. Sodium-rich food products help to keep the animals healthy, however, it is not easy for them to find these in the wild.
Once further permission has been obtained, five feeding complexes will be built in the restricted area of the natural resource use along the Amalyk and Uryakh rivers, Oronskaya channel and Golubtsovsky Lake. The winter feed provided will also include plants. The conservation area boasts higher population levels of the animals than there are in the other nearby territories, with an increasing number of young animals.
This study of the wild animal populations is a joint project between the Vitim Nature Reserve and Polyus Verninskoye. The Company’s environmentalists started working with the Nature Reserve’s scientists in 2018, implementing the Study of Flora and Fauna Populations, and biodiversity of different species in the local area. The main goal of the program has been to preserve the different species of animals, plants and micro-organisms.
«Polyus Verninskoye always strives to be environmentally responsible and invests into exploring the biodiversity of the region where it operates. This joint project has made it possible to monitor the local species’ population levels since 2018. This can serve as a basis for conducting similar studies using the data in decades to come», commented Larisa Chechyotkina, Director of the Vitim Nature Reserve.
Igor Tsukurov, Managing Director of Polyus Verninskoye, agrees, stating that the Company should exemplify these high standards for environmental responsibility, being one of the leading gold miners in the region.
«The unique northern nature, home to many wild species, sometimes becomes vulnerable due to the effects of humanity. Our priority is to protect these eco-systems as much as possible, while maintaining our operations. We are committed to contributing to biodiversity preservation in the Bodaibo District. Our employees and their families live here, and we have to preserve the natural heritage for future generations», he added.