Making inventory in ecocenter “Djeyran” I knew that I should write a news release about what has happened. Nevertheless, it is a territory of our project, a project of the GEF SGP, but we didn’t want to be official… I just wanted to share my good feelings I got every time I came to the ecocenter and its wholly sincere atmosphere.
While I was thinking about what to write, the guys had already written about it and I thought that my note might be unnecessary. But later I decided to share my impressions all the same…

So,
We are going. The road to the ecocenter is long enough but the expectation of arrival itself is pleasant. We left Tashkent early in the morning. After Samarkand we decided to go via Karshi – the road there is emptier and more spectacular. At one moment, when we were passing Karshi steppe, we saw dozens of tumble-weeds of huge size. They all were rolling one after another from the field to the mountains and moving into the road like great waves. Suddenly our small jeep ran into this dry ball and it flied away all over the place. The view was just gorgeous! It was like a ship running into a steep wave, splashes flying away everywhere…

Natalya Vasilyevna is traveling around the desert on a riding “stool”. That is how she calls the scooter that was purchased within the framework of the project for the ecocenter. A pack of her pets – chordates is running behind.

Photo made by Timur Kaysarov

We reached the ecocenter in the evening. We were waited. It is always nice to meet old friends. Inventory of gazelles is not just a scientific arrangement of censuring. This is a big chance to meet friends who work in the sphere of environment protection, to discuss a lot of things, simply to spend time with friends, to be side by side with each other. Night sessions and discussions about this and that begin. Here is also a man from Moscow, who came here with the idea of white crane. Here are also the guys from Youth Ecological Network, the guys from Samarkand and from Zarafshan nursery and of course, Natalya Vasilyevna – the heart of the ecocenter…

Tomorrow we are having socially useful work – altogether we are going in a tractor trailer to gather stones for a newly built open-air cage complex on the contiguous territory, that was built in the framework of the project. Later, I will see how fascinating this construction is. All are driving out. Let’s go… It is a big pleasure for small kids who will also join the elder children…

As soon as we go out to the road, out of the blue, the pieces of mud begin to fall on all those sitting in the body of the car. After a moment they all understand that the mud is coming from tractor’s wheels while it is gathering way. Well, it is even funnier after all…
We came to a place near the plaster quarry… - that is our potential enemy, which is digging the ground mercilessly near the ecocenter, sending there clouds of white dust in the air... We don't know whether it is good or bad for wild animals and for the ecosystem of Djeyran ecocenter generally – for this purpose we have specialists from State BioControl, who are to judge…

We began gathering stones. My notion of stones was destroyed in one moment. An employee of the ecocenter told me that stones which I assumed to be stones during all my life, were not in fact stones and they are not fit for hoofs of animals. We need other stones... So, let's go and find the right stones....

We started together to throw them diligently into the body of the tractor. Suddenly, a hare appeared out of someone’s legs. It ran off a little bit but did not run away at all, it again came to the place where we were working, and watched us with a great curiosity. It is a very strange hare, some other hare would run away...

The guys found the ancient sediments of shells in the stones, a queue of curious people immediately gathered to look at them. The shells in the stone were imprinted very clearly. It is amazing to think that once there was a sea here. When you watch TV programmes about it, it is all the same somewhere far from you, but the feeling is different when you are touching a shell turned into a stone!!! Your heart is missing a beat. You understand how we are transient in the tape of the life.

In the evening we went to the desert for a good cause. The guys from Samarkand have brought two sand boas given to them by someone. Everybody goes with a joy to free boas to their natural habitat. Now they are free.

Usual fuss before inventory: Valentin Soldatov is giving instructions for tomorrow, makes his last allocation of people and routes. The crowd is buzzing. Commotion. Everybody is expecting tomorrow’s adventure. Valentin is giving transmitters, binoculars, cards for inventory data. Everything seems to be ready.

So, the day of inventory came.
We woke up at 5 o’clock. I cleaned my teeth and put on my field boots. Then I began to pack my rucksack. What about water? Yes, we will need water. Still it is a desert… Binocular, bird locator, a bottle of water - it seems that it is all I needed.

Valentin again gathered everybody together. He gave his last instructions. He is the most experienced person here. As for us, there are a lot of amateurs among us who likes doing something, may be even insignificant, but that is connected with nature…
We are all getting on a bus appeared from somewhere. It is not designed for 18 persons but we all squeezed into it. We are sitting on each other’s knees, by three people on two places. Our bus is significantly sagging … The traffic on the road is usual. The driver turned as he saw a sign though that sign was not for us. Nobody thinks about signs in the desert. We turned to the desert. Oops, that was a wrong way. Again the bus turned and then we found the right way. Soon there is an "ejection" of the first group, then the next and the next until the bus is empty. Oh, it is such a relief for it...
We need to climb over a grid fence. Somebody groaned and jumped over with difficulty. Somebody climbed over swiftly but got a punch to the back of the head by binocular swinging on the tie. Finally we are behind the fence and everything started. We started our movement by appointed routes, along invisible lines of the desert.

We are distant from each other; however it seems that we are close. We are actively discussing through radio transmitter about where these flying Dutchmen went – I mean a group of six djeyrans. In what sector have they passed and have they passed at all. The topic was discussed in all possible aspects. There were mutual catches, jokes, as if it was not inventory, but a talk near the campfire.

I still do not see any signs of life in the desert. We are picking up the bones of dead djeyrans. Thanks to my smart partner who surmised to take a bag, otherwise we would have to carry half-rotten bones and hoofs in our hands or put them near the drinking water in the knapsack. In the end, that is also acceptable in principle.

And then the action starts. The desert is coming to life ... djeyrans are moving towards us. I could not believe my eyes at first. I am looking cautiously at what was there in front of us... We are bending down, and the djeyrans are passing us on the right. I intentionally muted the dynamic of the walkie-talkie, because I constantly hear cries from all sides: "They are going to you, to you. Well, have they passed? How many? Passed by? ", etc. Drive grasped all of the involved. First 7 units passed, then another 11, we are creeping along the ground like the Indians. I recalled my childhood immediately. It is wonderful to get to my childhood again. It is so real at that. This is not a game, but a real action.
Djeyrans have passed and I heard the voice of Valentin in the radio transmitter: "Alexey, you are lagging behind, do not creep there, get up and put on pace. Nothing will happen to the djeyrans". Eh, there is nothing to do and I get up obediently and make my way together with Masha.

On the way we again find various bones, and we indulged in chatting and discussion. Suddenly, once again, when we bent down and were examining the bones of a dead djeyran, clouds of sand are lifting from the ground a few meters away from us. We see a great gerbil, digging its another hole. We hid. Another cry from the dynamics of the walkie-talkie, of course, frightened off the gerbil. We turned off the radio transmitter and crept up closer. Click, caught it, and we have a photo.

We finally come out to our line of columns, along which we should go. Cherished number six is seen on our column. This is a route number six.

So, we are coming up to our inventory line, where we should conceal ourselves and count all animals passing by on the right side. We sit down, a little relaxed. By this moment we have already ran seven kilometers. And here we can sit and drink some water. We are waiting for the beaters approaching from the south, and the animals passing by .

The first group appeared, then the second and the third. The desert is fully alive. We are carefully looking into binoculars, trying not to miss any detail. How many males and females, how many young there are and what kind they are? Who has small horns, and who does not.

Masha is jumping on the spot with the desire to see the wild asses passing by. The chance is small, but we still have a glimmer of hope. A large cloud of dust appeared in front of us and on the left. This is a herd of wild asses rushing along, but unfortunately not towards us. Wait, suddenly it turned and walked to the right, and again passed by towards the groups 7-9. They stopped, hesitated, and ... - I cannot believe my eyes – are approaching us. We are confused: both the wild asses, and a large group of djeyrans. We decided to split up. I will count the wild asses, Masha will count djeyrans. I counted a large group of 49 wild asses, Masha counted an awfully big quantity of gazelles.
Our triumph is unlimited, we are quietly crying about such success. Can there be a happier day?! We calmed down and go on sitting concealed and pressed to the ground as low as possible.

And djeyrans are still coming. Two bucks appeared. One of them does not have one horn. Maybe he lost it while struggling for his sweetheart. Another djeyran was fully dehorned as if they were cut down. There are no versions of how it could happen. The most probable version is that he had two sweethearts and he lost each of horns for each of the sweethearts. They are coming towards us again.
We imagine how disappointed the other group, consisting of Abdusalom and Katya, because all animals are passing near us and we count them as our animals. In return, they are passing very close to them and they can scrutinize them thoroughly.
Soon the stream of passing animals was reduced, and we can see soldiers and our friends coming ahead from the south, who drove in the animals and us.

And finally, there was a meeting on the Elba. Being so happy, Yuriy turned on excellent music of Sting and transmitted it through the walkie-talkie. I can imagine his finger swollen because it was pushing the button of the walkie-talkie till the end of the song. You can do everything for joy of the friends. Thank you, Yuriy

.

We all gathered near the point of Valentin and Anna – the 5th route. Everyone is triumphant, hats are in the air. We made several commemorative photos with the soldiers and then got on the cars. A festive plov was prepared for us in the camp.

As soon as we return to the camp, the inventory headquarters was immediately gathered, the cards were collected and counting started. Masha was counting for a long time. We gathered quite a lot. It turns out that 168 djeyrans and 49 wild asses passed near us. It is an excellent result. We counted the total. The figures are fantastic. The population of 591 djeyrans of the past year grew up to 902 gazelles. It is great, isn’t it!! The number of wild asses became 67 against 54 last year. Only the Przewalski horse rested from family the affairs this year : there are 21 of them like it was last year.

The desert is coming to life. And we also together with it.
P.S. In the evening another surprise was waiting for us. A huge flock of pelicans was flying above our heads, approximately 500 birds. Could so many happy moments happen in one day?!!!
Photo of the infamous hare is made by Vladimir Shipilin
Photo of the walking koulans is made by Aleksand Sorokin
Portrait of Valentin Soldatov is made by Timur Kaysarov
Photo album is not full yet. You are to wait a bit . There are only photos of Aleksand Sorokin you can look at. Timur, Anna and Valentin also made their contribution.