Sad News! Teddy brought down by hunter!


We are sorry to announce that Teddy (the only Red-breasted Goose successfully tagged with satellite transmitter) was shot by a Russian hunter on 15 May 2012, in North-Kazakhstan Region, just near the Russia-Kazakhstan border, 8 km south of Ukrainka village and 180 km South-West of the City of Omsk (see map).

During his uncompleted spring migration, Teddy covered 4,336 kms over the course of 3 months, starting in Bulgaria, and crossing Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. The data sent from his tag has produced a wealth of new information, the details of which we are only just beginning to understand and interpret. Some of the places Teddy used on his journey were predictable: sites designated and protected under various national and international legislations. However, some stopovers were a surprise and also a concern because the habitats there could deteriorate or legal hunting still occurs.


Teddy´s last movements
Summary of Teddy´s travels
The analysis of the timing and duration of Teddy's movements will also in due course reveal a lot about the energetics of his migration and the need to provide sufficient secure feeding places along the route for the Red-breasted Goose population as a whole. It is absolutely amazing that Teddy's status was resolved, and that we got a definitive answer to why the transmissions suddenly stopped in mid-May.

Teddy's recovered transmitter

The recovery of the transmitter must count as a great success in the circumstances. There is increasing evidence that hunting is one of the main threats responsible for the decline of the RBG population.

In the mean time, it is gratifying that hunter(s) turned in the transmitter and leg band to the hunting inspectorate in Omsk, and that the Russian institutions so quickly alerted us to this information.
Although Teddy´s journey came to a tragic and abrupt halt, it has already drawn broad public attention to the plight of the species and its urgent conservation needs which can lead to a more energized and expansive conservation effort in future along the entire flyway for the species (including better hunting regulation and hunter education).

Acknowledgements:
We especially thank the following institutions for their cooperation: Bird Ringing Centre of Russia, Ministry of Natural Resources of Omsk Region, Hunting Inspectorate in Omsk.


For more information, please contact us: info@branta-tours.com or visit our RBG web site www.redbreastedgoose.org

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