Marmota bobac dans la République Tchouvache
Marmota bobac in the Chuvash Republic

En République Chouvache, M. bobac est présente depuis longtemps. Il y avait en 1932 sept colonies, trois subsistaient en 1936 et une l'année suivante dans une biogéocénose steppique relique. La colonie de Batyrevo a été organisée en 1961. Treize lâchers ont été réalisés en République Chouvache (1982-1990). Les 920 marmottes venaient des régions d'Ulianovsky et de Saratov et de nouvelles colonies se sont formées. En 1991, les marmottes ont été dénombrées. Les installations de Kanash, Tsivilsk et Yadrin sont des succès. Le programme de territoires protégés (1993) permet l'installation des marmottes dans de bonnes conditions dans de nombreux sites. La surveillance de celles-ci a commencé.
Mots-clés : Marmotte des steppes, Marmota bobac, République Tchouvache, répartition, réintroduction, préservation.

There was 7 large colonies of Marmota bobac in 1930-1932 (Chuvash Republic), 3 remained in 1936 and one the following year on a fragment of relict steppe biogeocenosis. M. bobac lived there long ago. On this basis Batyrevo colony was organised in 1961. Thirteen releases (920 animals) took place in Chuvash Republic (1982-1990), with M. bobac from Ulianovsk and Saratov regions, and new colonies appeared. In 1991 a census of M. bobac was made. The Kanash, Tsivilsk, Yadrin settlements are successful M. bobac settled further from these colonies. The programme of protected nature territories (1993) provides good settlement conditions for M. bobac in many sites. Work for their organization has begun.
Key-words: Steppe marmot, Marmota bobac, Chuvash Republic, distribution, re-introduction, conservation.

En République Chouvache, il y avait 7 colo-nies de Marmota bobac en 1932 dans les districts de Batyrevski and Yalchiksky. Une réserve de 1000 hectares avait été organisée pour elles. Trois colonies subsistaient en 1936 (Ljvova 1936) et une seule l'an-née suivante (Ljvova 1952, Oliger et al. 1966, Voronov 1979, 1985, 1990). Cette colonie se main-tint lors de la dépression dans le district de Baty-revsky sur un fragment d'une biogéocénose steppique relicte de l'Holocène, décrite en détail par Ljvova (1936). Les marmottes occupent ce site depuis long-temps (Eversmann 1850) et des zoologistes se sont intéressés à cette colonie relique (Bogdanov 1871, Zhitkov 1898, Teplov & Tichvinski 1932, Tichvinski 1934, Ljvova 1936, 1952, Popov 1960, 1978, Kulik et al. 1965, Oliger et al. 1966, Chrustsilevski & Sergeev 1983, Dezhkin 1983, 1985, 1986, Popov & Lukin 1988, Voronov 1979, 1985, 1990, Bibikov & Dezhkin 1987, Chrustsilevski 1988, Bibikov 1989, Plechova & Dimitriev 199l, Dimitriev et al. 1991, Shiyan et al. 199l, Dimitriev 1993 a,b).

Sur cette base, le Conseil des Ministres de la République Chouvache (19 octobre 1961) a défini le statut de la colonie de M. bobac de Batyrevo sur un territoire de 25 hectares. Les scientifiques ont pos-tulé que cette colonie, isolée pendant plus de 50 ans et à plus de 200 km des autres populations de bobac, disparaîtrait du fait de son isolement et de la reproduction consanguine, ce qui s'avéra faux.

Selon la littérature et les contacts personnels avec différents spécialistes qui ont étudiés cette colonie, nous avons rétabli la dynamique numérique de ces marmottes (Tableau 1). Leur nombre a été stable pendant les décades précédant le lâcher de marmottes provenant de la province d'UIjanovskaya en 1982 et les 4 ou 5 années suivant le lâcher. Puis, les années suivantes, il s'est accru de 2 ou 3 fois et des colonies soeurs sont apparues. La première en 1989 (PIechova & Dimitriev 1991) a disparu en 1992 du fait de la réalisation d'une mare selon le rapport du garde chasse régional. La seconde est apparue en 1992 au village de Novoje Achperdino (à 4 km). Elle comprenait 7 marmottes dont des jeunes. Dans la colonie de base, en 1991 le nombre de marmottes a atteint 63 individus (19 familles dont 11 avec une portée) et en 1994 environ 50 (11 familles).

Des réintroductions ont été réalisées en Répu-blique Chouvache entre 1982 et 1990 : treize lâchers de M. bobac (920 individus) provenant des districts de Starokulatsky, région d'UIianovsky et de Khva-linsky, région de Saratov (Dimitriev 1993b). De nou-velles colonies se sont installées dans 10 districts de la République. En 1991, sous l'égide du Comité d'État pour la Nature (devenu Ministère des ressources naturelles et de la protection) les marmottes ont été recensées avec l'aide des présidents des comités pour la protection de la nature et des membres des sociétés de chasse et de pêche (Tableau 2).

Les installations de Kanash, Tsivilsk, et Yadrin sont des succès et présentent la meilleure reproduction et le plus grand nombre de familles avec une portée. Des marmottes ont occupé d'autres sites plus éloignés. Par exemple, un étudiant de l'univer-sité de Kazan, Yunusov a noté, en novembre 1993, la présence d'une colonie dans le voisinage du village de Bailarge où elles étaient présentes dans les années 20 (Popov 1960). Nous n'avons pas encore pu déter-miner les caractéristiques de cette installation ni leur origine. Nous pensons qu'elles sont venues d'une colonie du voisinage de la ville de Buinsk en République Tatar. Peut-être des animaux réintroduits se sont réunis sur ce site.

Le programme consistant à établir des zones naturelles protégées, mis en place par le Conseil des Ministres de la République Chouvache en 1994-1995, a fourni de bonnes conditions pour l'installation de M. bobac à Vurnary, Tsivilsk, Tatarsky Sugut, Toburda-novo et Yadrin ainsi que l'élargissement de Batyrevo. Leur surveillance a commencé à être mise en oeuvre.

Year  
Animals  
habitable  burrows  
Information source
Year  
Animals  
habitable  burrows  
Information source   
193l 
 7 families       
24       
Teplov &  Tichvinski 1936 
1981  
8  "     
"        
A region hunter          
196l 
 5 bobac  
1       
 Kulik et al. 1965
1982  
Releases of 20 bobacs in UIianovsky   
      region    
1963  
6  "     
11           
" 
1982  
22  "    
"        
Gurev & Lastuchin               
                        "                    
1969  
40  "    
No data  
A region hunter 
1982  
33  "    
"        
A region hunter     
1970  
~40  "  
 "        
Chrustsilevski &     
                        Sergeev 1983 
1982  
11  "   
 "        
Dezhkin 1983, 1985         
197l 
 ~40  "  
 "            
" 
1983  
23  "    
"        
A region hunter               
1977  
48  "    
"        
Dezhkin a et al.     
                        1983
1984  
28  "    
"            
"                    
1978  
38  "   
 "           
 "
1985  
20  "    
"            
"                
                        "                 
1979  
16  "    
"           
 "                
                        "
1986  
20  "   
 "            
"     "                    
1979  
16  "    
"        
Chrustsilevski 1988 
1987  
40  "    
8            
"       " 
1979  
30  "   
 "        
A region hunter
1988  
42  "    
8            
"     "      
1980  
22  "   
 "           
 "                
                        "
1989  
5l  "    
18           
"      "                    
1980  
22  "    
"        
Dezhkin et al.
1991  
63  "      
No  data   
District Comittee  Nature       
1980  
16  "    
"        
Lastuchin A.A.
1992  
40  "       
"         
"     "       
198l  
13  "   
 "       
 Chrustsilevski 1988
1993  
about   40   
3l     
Plechova & Plechov  
198l  
3  "     
"        
Chrustsilevski &     
                        Sergeev 1983
 1994  
about  50  
82       
Plechova & Plechov       

In Chuvash Republic, there was 7 large colonies of Marmota bobac in Batyrevski and Yalchiksky districts in 1932. A reserve was organized for them on a territory of l,000 hectares. Only 3 colonies remained in 1936 (Ljvova 1936) and one the following year (Ljvova 1952, Oliger et al. 1966; Voronov 1979, 1985, 1990). This colony remained during the years of depression in Batyrevsky district on a fragment of the relic holocene steppe biogeocenosis, described in detail by Ljvova (1936). M. bobac lived there long ago (Eversmann 1850) and zoologists paid attention to that relict colony (Bogdanov 1871, Zhitkov 1898, Teplov & Tichvinski 1932, Tichvinski 1934, Ljvova 1936, 1952, Popov 1960, 1978, Kulik et al. 1965, Oliger et al. 1966, Chrustsilevski & Sergeev 1983, Dezhkin 1983, 1985, 1986, Popov & Lukin 1988, Voronov 1979, 1985, 1990, Bibikov & Dezhkin 1987, Chrustsilevski 1988, Bibikov 1989, Plechova & Dimitriev 199l, Dimitriev et al. 1991, Shiyan et al. 199l, Dimitriev 1993 a,b and etc.)

On this basis the Chuvash republic Council of Ministers organized on October, 19th, 1961 Batyrevo M. bobac colony on a territory of 25 hectares. Scientist supposed that this colony isolated for more than 50 years from other bobac populations, approximately 200 km apart, would pass away because of its isolation and of inbreeding phenomena. But this assumption turned out to be wrong.

According to literature and personal contacts of different specialists that had studied this colony we restored the numerical dynamic of the marmots (see table 1). Their number was more or less stable during the decades before the release of marmots from the UIjanovskaya province in 1982. After the release their number was on the same level for 4-5 years, and only in the next years a 2 and 3 times increase and building of daughter colonies were marked. The first one organized in 1989 (PIechova & Dimitriev 1991) disappeared because of the pond building in 1992, according to the regional hunt-guard report. In 1992 at Novoje Achperdino village (4 km) the second daughter colony of 7 marmots (including young individuals) came into existence. In the basic colony in 1991 the total number of marmots came to 63 (19 families, out of them 11 with a litter), in 1994 about 50 (11 families).

Re-acclimatization work was made in Chuvash Republic in 1982-1990. Thirteen releases of M. bobac (920 specimens) brought from Starokulatsky district (UIianovsky region) and Khvalinsky district (Saratov region) took place (Dimitriev 1993 b). As a result new colonies appeared in 10 administrative districts of the republic. In 1991 under State Committee of Nature (now Ministry of Natural Resources and protection of surroundings) M. bobac were registered with the aid of the chairmen of committees of nature protection and members of hunters' and fishermen's societies (table 2).

The Kanash, Tsivilsk, Yadrin settlements in the Chuvash Republic are successful with the biggest indicator of reproduction and number of families with a brood. Marmots settled further from these colonies. For example, a student from Kazan University Yunusov quoted, in November of 1993, the presence of a colony of marmots in the neighbourhood of Bailarge village. M. bobac lived there already in the 20th of our century (Popov 1960). We could not find out exactly yet the condition of the colony and the place where they had come from. We can only suggest that they came from the settlement near Tatarsky Suguty village or from the settlements situated in the environs of Buinsk town from the Republic Tatarstan. Perhaps, the artificially formed settlements unite in this place.

The programme of developing the system of specially protected nature territories established by the resolution of Council of Ministers of the Chuvash Republic in 1994-1995 provides for M. bobac in Vurnary, Tsivilsk, Tatarsky Sugut, Toburdanovo and Yadrin and widening of borders in Batyrevo. Work for their organization has begun.

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