Postcard from Bishkek

Yesterday I wrote a postcard about the Chupacabra, the legendary monster first reported in 1996 in Puerto Rico but which, apparently, has appeared or at least been blamed for attacks on livestock in may far flung places … even in the Kochkor region of Kyrgyzstan.

As usual with such legendary creatures, the sightings are rare, the circumstances different and the evidence to support the theoretical connection is varied … and patchy.  Still there are some “die hard” believers and – and sightings, albeit rare, attract considerable attention and speculation.

The latest reports, however, seems to suggest that it may be a case of mistaken identity … with stray dogs being the favourite culprit, the scapegoat that has been taking the blame for the vicious and wanton attacks that have accounted for something approaching 90 animals: sheep, goat, hens …. and rabbits.

It was that breakdown of the victims in the latest reports that really caught my attention … no large animals like cattle, yak, horse of – heaven forbid – camel … suggesting that culprit is also quite small.  Also there was no mention of attacks on wildlife (except, perhaps, for the rabbits … the others are all quite clearly “farm animals” … and, although I cannot say this with any certainty, I suspect that the rabbits were also raised on and living on a farm),

Now we have an awful lot of sheep in Kyrgyzstan … in the  ”former times” – how I love that phrase – the republic used to provide sufficient to meet the demand for mutton for the whole of the Soviet Union.  The sheep population dwindled somewhat following independence but has been showing signs of recovery after having hit a nadir,  Sheep are renowned for being timid … and easy prey, so it’s surprising that they should figure so prominently feature in the list of victims.

Driving almost anywhere during the Spring and Autumn, one is likely to be held up trying to navigate past – or through – a flock of sheep as they are being moved  either to or from the rich pastures of the high mountain meadows.  They don’t follow the rules of the road and keep to the right, leaving a lane free for drivers to pass them by … they spread out for whole width of the road, and sometimes even straying onto the verges and hillsides flanking the road.

The nomadic Kyrgyz also keep goats, but by no means in the same sort of numbers – and you’ll often see a few of them mixing in with the sheep as they complete their forced march. between pastures.  They are usually a little smaller than the sheep … and although goats, (especially Billy goats – the male of the species), have a reputation for belligerence, they often seem almost as timid as the sheep.  The fact that there a fewer goats may go a long way towards explaining why there was only one that fell victim to this vicious killer.

If those two were understandable, my eyebrows were raised a little at the next two on the list.  Hens … not exactly a traditional animal kept by the nomadic Kyrgyz.  Although they are extremely useful, (providing meat – healthy white low fat meat,  and eggs – “little powerhouses of energy”, feathers – for decoration or stuffing or whatever, … and even manure – organic manure at that), they do not really lend themselves to the nomadic way of life.  They can wander off and need protection from their natural predators – especially ot nighttime, which is why “free range” farmers can often be seen seen gathering them together and shutting them up in a coop.  On the other hand, many people living in towns, villages and small settlements, have taken to keeping some of the birds, and maybe geese and ducks as well.

Now, the rabbits are perhaps are perhaps the most surprising victims on the list.  I can’t say that I have particularly noticed rabbit as a major element in Kyrgyz cuisine, for example.  There were a couple of restaurants with rabbit on the menu … one of them specializing in the meat serving only rabbit dishes.   They tend to be Russian restaurants, and the rabbit dishes reminiscent of “game food” – where the meat has been hunted.  The Russians, for example made extensive use of the rabbit’s cousin, the hare and the stories of authors like Chekov have many examples of hare coarsing.  

Once again, the rabbit is not really conducive to nomadic life … they tend to live in burrows and could be difficult to “round up” and transport when it time to move on to the next pasture.  That’s not to say that the Kyrgyz wouldn’t hunt and trap them, or be averse to eating the meat of any that they caught.  Hey, they consider marmot to be a delicacy … and that’s one of the factors that is supposed to have led to the outbreak of Bubonic Plague  earlier in the year.

 

To be honest, I don’t think I have ever seen one in the wild here in Kyrgyzstan … all the specimens that I can recall were being used in demonstrations of the art of the Berkutchi – hunting with eagles.  The berkutchi climbs a slope with the eagle on his arm and when he is in position, his assistant below will release the rabbits from a cage.  the bird with his eagle eyes (pun intended) quickly spots the movement and is released to circle and then swoop on the unfortunate animal below.  Now, to be fair, most Berkutchi are well aware of the sensitivities of tourists and once the bird has pounced and caught its prey, the assistant is in like a shot with scraps of meat to reward him for a job well done and rescue the unfortunate prey.  Usually, they make it in time – but, to be honest, sometimes the bird lands with such force or is quick to kill – hey they are eagles … that’s their nature, or to paraphrase Macauley Culkin’s character in Uncle Buck, “that’s their job”.

To be fair: some Berkutchi will work with lures, meat on a length of rope which the assistant swings round and round to catch the bird’s attention before dragging it along the ground ready to be pounced upon … but it doesn’t have the same effect or show off the eagles prowess and the Bekutchi’s skill and experience in the same way.     

 

Rabbits are small mammals, members of the Lagomorpha family of the Leporidae.

Species in the Leporidae family are representatives of three types of animal: the Rabbit, the Hare and the Pika.  (In Latin, the word actually means, “those that resemble the hare”, which makes it a sort of circular definition or tautology.) 

For a long time they were apparently classified as rodents, having some features that bore some resemblance to mice, rats and jerboa, to squirrels, marmots, voles, muskrats and even the porqupine.  There are other features, of course, that mark them out as different – for example, some have four incisors in the upper row of teeth rather than just two.

They are all herbivores – eating only vegetation, mainly grasses and herbs.  Hares can run very fast and tend to live in open spaces, whereas rabbits and pikas burrow holes into the ground where they live, they are smaller, slower and built somewhat differently from their cousins.

There are something like 60 different species of Leporidae, scattered throughout the world.  It can depend on which source you cite, but there could be five different species currently present in the country … three of which are native, and two that were introduced.  At least one source doesn’t recognize these new arrivals, and there appears to be some doubt as to how well they have been assimilated into the environment of the Tien Shan.

Only one representative of the Rabbit branch if the family seems to be listed anywhere as a resident of Kyrgyzstan: the European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus.   These are not native to Kyrgyzstan; some are the result of domestic animals escaping into the wild, but there have also been cases where specimens released into the wild.

They are medium sized in that they can grow up to between 34 and 50cm, which is smaller than the hares but bigger than the pikas.  They have shot legs which means that, although they are god sprinters and can build up quite a speed, they cannot run particularly fast over long distances.

The European Rabbit is brown in colour, although it has white underparts which it shows as it is running away.

It is a communal animal, living with others underground.

It adapts well to the dry conditions of the lower slopes – that is, up to about 2000m above sea level.   However, the populations are not really sustainable as they tend to fall prey to natural predators … especially during the wintertime.

Their cousins, the hares, are represented in Kyrgyzstan by the Tolai Hare – Lepus vapenis tolai, or lepus capensis, and the Mountain Hare - Lepus timidus.

They both tend to be bigger than the rabbit, growing top between 50 and 50cm in length.  They tend to prefer dry bushy habitats or, perhaps dry spots littered with boulders which can offer some form of protection.  .

The Tolai Hare is endemic to the region, and is found throughout virtually the whole country – even up to about 4000m above sea level.  Indeed in the lower valleys where agriculture is predominent, the population levels tend to be much lower.

It tends to be a grey-brown color with white underparts.  They have very long ears, typically longer than the head itself … just like Buggs Bunny!

Rather than living in holes in the ground, the Tolai make their home in in open spaces … or, perhaps, in some sheltered spots.  It sports a short, wedge shaped tail, black on the upper side.

 

It’s relative, the Mountain Hare, is not listed in most sources … mainly because it was introduced here in 1965 when 71 animals were released into two different areas in the Chon Kemin valley.  At first they seemed to be adapting well into their home, even extending the boundaries of the area in which they were released.  However, their numbers declined and they haven’t been any sightings since 1979.

For the record:  Although it grows to the same sort of size as the Tolai Hare, individuals tend to be larger than their counterparts and their ears were shorter.  The most noticeable difference between the two, however, was in the colouring – a brown turning white for the winter and brown for the summer.

The less well known members of the family are the pikas.

They tend to be smaller than the other members of the family, (growing to just about 20cm in length), with a more rounded body and short rounded ears, and no tail, living in burrows.  It is also known as the Whistling Hare – a reference to it’s high pitched call.

They are natives to cold climates and favour rocky mountain sides where there are plenty of places offering shelter, although they also dig burrows.

Most sources cite two species of pika in Kyrgyzstan, Royle’s Pika – Ochotoma Royle and the Turkestan Red Pika – Ochotoma rutila, but there is also a reference to the Large eared Pika – Ochitona macrotis.  They are all native to the region and can be found extending further south as well.

Royle’s Pika tends to live at higher altitudes than the Turkestan  and there are colour differences – the Turkestan Red Pika has, as the name implies, a redder tint – bordering on ginger.

Perhaps the most interesting difference between Royles and Red, is the geographical location in which they are to be found.  Royle’s Pika is found in the Easterm half of the country, whereas the Turkestan Red Pika is found in the Western half of the country.  In the areas where there is an overlap, the Royles tend to live higher up the slopes than their Red cousins.

For the record: There are also several references to some extinct species of pika that lived in the area.

 

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