Today, August 2, many countries celebrate the professional holiday of reindeer herding workers - Deer Day.
02.
08. 2023
10:21
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News

In Uzbekistan, this date is significant due to the presence of one of the rarest subspecies of the noble animal living in Central Asia - the Bukhara deer.

The Bukhara or Tugai deer is a subspecies of the noble deer living in Central Asia. It is listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan as a locally common subspecies that is disappearing. 

The height of this slender and graceful animal is about 120 cm at the withers. The branched antlers adorn male deer only until spring (March-April). Females are hornless. The length of the antlers reaches 110 cm, with 5 tines (in rare cases, on the fifth tine, there are 2 additional ones, up to 2 cm in size). The weight of deer is about 200 kg. The body color is light ash with a brownish-yellow-gray tint; in summer it is brighter than in winter. The legs are much lighter than the main color. The spot under the tail, called the "Mirror," is reddish at the top and white below. Newborn fawns are light-colored with scattered small round spots on their sides. The height of the babies is up to 60 cm at the withers. The weight of newborns is about 9 kg.

According to history, in the 19th century, they lived in Tugai forests and tall grass along the banks of the Amu Darya and Syrdarya rivers, in reed thickets south of the Aral Sea, and in the rocky desert of Kyzylkum.

In Uzbekistan, Bukhara deer are found in the Zarafshan National Nature Park, Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve, Kyzylkum State Reserve, and Khorezm National Nature Park.


According to the spring census of 2023, the population of Bukhara deer in the Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve is 1475 heads, in the Kyzylkum State Reserve - 186, in the Zarafshan National Nature Park - 105, in the Khorezm National Nature Park - 10.

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