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Founder: The Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan
Adress: Ashgabat c., Garashsyzlyk shayoly, 100, Turkmenbashy centre of free creative work
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News

Golden Eagle — a Rare Eagle Species

The nobility of this feathered predator shines through in its appearance and manifests itself through its behaviour and habits. It is not accidental that the coats of arms of many countries feature the golden eagle that belongs to the large eagles. This rare and beautiful bird is of particular interest because it nests closer to the winter, lays eggs in February-March, and sometimes even in January – the coldest months in Turkmenistan. But the birds continue feeding the chicks after 45 days of incubation for a little more than two months during a comfortable period – in the spring, when there is a lot of food. The parents take care of the offspring until they fly out of the nest, bring the ground squirrels they have caught, sometimes hares, foxes, mountain partridges – chukars and various waterfowl. Their diet also includes turtles: these smart birds have learned to break their hard shells on the stones of deep echoing gorges or rocky mountain plateaus. They also catch monitor lizards on occasion. We should explain that this is a quite large bird. Its wingspan can be 2 metres, its claws are unmatched among eagles in size, and it can be recognised by a large “cap” on its head with elongated golden-yellow feathers. There are known cases of golden eagles hunting young gazelles, lambs of mountain sheep and goats. But never on adult ungulates: the golden eagle, whose weight i

6 December 2024

Planet of animals

Newcomer Russian bear moves to Ashgabat Zoo

«7/24.tm»: №41 (228) 07.10.2024 A young brown bear has found a permanent home at the National Museum of Wildlife of Turkmenistan (Ashgabat Zoo). He arrived there from a division of the Moscow Zoo – the Volokolamsk Centre for the Reproduction of Rare Animal Species. The bear was donated to the Ashgabat Zoo by the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EARAZA) in commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of independence of Turkmenistan.

6 October 2024

Planet of animals

An Adornment of Wildlife

This large bird with magnificent plumage is a representative of one of the numerous families in the order Galliformes. According to its distribution, the pheasant is a southern bird, found in Western, Central and Southeast Asia, inhabiting the forests of Eastern Tibet and Southern and Western China. In the Commonwealth of Independent States, pheasants live along the banks of the Volga River, in the river valleys of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, near Lake Balkhash, the Amur River and Primorye. Four subspecies are found in our country: Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas is common in the lower reaches of the Amudarya River, Phasianus colchicus zarudnyi – along the middle course of the river, Phasianus colchicus principalis settles in the tugai forests of the Tejen and Murgab valleys and the Karakum River, and Phasianus colchicus persicus can be found along the banks of the Sumbar and Etrek Rivers. This wild bird resembles domestic chickens in appearance; it is slightly smaller in size and has a thin long tail. Males with yellow-brown plumage, iridescent metallic, golden and purple hues are very beautiful. The adults weigh up to 2 kilogrammes. Females are smaller than males and have a more inconspicuous grey-sand colour. Pheasants spend most of their lives on the ground, feeding on small animals and insects, including ants, wood lice, spiders, worms and snails. Their plant foo

26 May 2023

Planet of animals

An Adornment of Wildlife

This large bird with magnificent plumage is a representative of one of the numerous families in the order Galliformes. According to its distribution, the pheasant is a southern bird, found in Western, Central and Southeast Asia, inhabiting the forests of Eastern Tibet and Southern and Western China. In the Commonwealth of Independent States, pheasants live along the banks of the Volga River, in the river valleys of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, near Lake Balkhash, the Amur River and Primorye. Four subspecies are found in our country: Phasianus colchicus chrysomelas is common in the lower reaches of the Amudarya River, Phasianus colchicus zarudnyi – along the middle course of the river, Phasianus colchicus principalis settles in the tugai forests of the Tejen and Murgab valleys and the Karakum River, and Phasianus colchicus persicus can be found along the banks of the Sumbar and Etrek Rivers.

28 April 2023

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International Bird Day

«7/24. tm», № 14 (149), 03.04.2023. International Bird Day is celebrated every year on April 1 as an international environmental holiday. It aims to preserve the diversity and numbers of birds.

2 April 2023

Planet of animals

110 Years of Research in the Karakum Desert

95 years have passed since the establishment of the oldest nature reserve of the country out of nine existing ones – the Repetek Biosphere Reserve.  t was established in 1927 to preserve the black and white saxaul forests in the Eastern Karakum to replace the Repetek sandy-desert station that had existed since 1912 and had been established by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and its Vice-President, a traveller P.P. Semenov-Tien-Shansky and managed until 1928 by Director V. Dubyansky, who was one of the founders of desert science in Central Asia. So, the research of the Karakum Desert there has been going on for 110 years. The station, together with the Nature Reserve, existed until 1998, since 1962 as a division of the National Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna. Then, the reserve unit of international importance was transferred from the system of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan under the jurisdiction of the environmental department – now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Protection of Turkmenistan.

27 January 2023

Planet of animals

Unique Breed from Antiquity to the Present Day

Alabay dogs, long-standing and indispensable helpers in the traditional households, rightfully stand among the symbols of national pride of our compatriots. If, according to hippology, the “Nisean horses” belong to one of the oldest breeds in the world, then, according to cynologists, the Central Asian shepherd dog was bred at the earliest stages of historical development. The artefacts, which were discovered by archaeologists in the Neolithic settlements located at the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, make it possible to assume that a rather large dog was used to guard herds and houses. The Hero-Arkadag repeatedly emphasises the long and very complicated process of selecting, breeding and preserving this wonderful breed is a result of hard work and merit of our ancestors in the chain of many generations. It should be noted that among the representatives of the fauna that have gone through national selection, the domesticated dog chronologically occupies, perhaps, the initial position as the earliest domesticated mammal with subsequent divergence into various breeds, including our Turkmen Alabay dog.

20 January 2023

Planet of animals

Long-Awaited Guest – Wallcreeper

For true explorers, nature is full of amazing discoveries, we just have to take a closer look at it. Many miracles can be found in the Koytendag Mountains, where scientific expeditions go in search of rare animals and plants. There, the Koytendag State Nature Reserve operates to preserve and study the natural heritage, and scientific and practical research is carried out. Having a diploma of ecologist, I visited those places quite recently, any animal that I encountered in nature, previously known only from illustrations in educational reference books, aroused my enthusiastic interest. Of particular joy were trips deep into the protected area with researchers to carry out planned work, to monitor and record the inhabitants of the wildlife world. I remember a recent expedition with experienced colleagues from the Kopetdag, Badhyz and Kaplankyr Reserves, with whom we observed ungulates, the count of which continues until December, and carried out scientific field work and an examination of the state of the flora of a part of the canyons of all sections of the Koytendag Reserve.

9 December 2022

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Inhabitants of the Mountain Ranges

The Balhan Mountains, as old as the world, sung by Bayram Shahir in his poems, are the unique mountains of the sacred Turkmen land. Their peak – Mount Arlan, shrouded in snow and grey fog, rises at an altitude of 1,881 metres above sea level. The zodiac constellation Capricorn that looks like the horned inhabitants of the mountains flashes above it at night. The artiodactyls from the hollow-horned ruminants, including bezoar ibex that adapted well to the natural and climatic conditions of the mountains settled in those places long time ago. Their habitat is hard-to-reach mountain ranges and deep gorges, where the rays of the sun do not penetrate and people rarely set their foot.

22 July 2022

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Their Element Is Air

Our perception of birds is associated with expanses where feathered predators soar high in the sky or flocks of geese and cranes fly one after another. We know how mobile birds are, how fast and agile they are in flight. They fly over great distances, crossing seas, mountains and deserts during the migration season. Flying from one continent to another as the seasons change, the birds are active all year round. The ability of the avifauna to fly gives it an advantage over many other animals. They owe it to the physiological structure of their elongated body with the primary and covert wing feathers that form a dense surface area that supports the bird in the air. Birds lift their wings using the strong muscles attached to an inactive thorax. The bones of birds are very difficult to break and strong, as they contain more mineral salts. However, the skeleton of birds is very lightweight, because many bones are hollow and filled with air. Birds are warm-blooded, constant and high temperature (40-42 °C) allows them to fly in the high cold layers of air and enable them to live in a wide variety of climatic niches. Higher metabolic rates in birds make their heart work hard, and indeed birds have a much greater number of heartbeats than mammals, and small birds have the higher heart rate than large ones.

27 May 2022

Planet of animals

Flamingo

«7-24.tm», № 20 (103), 16.05.2022     Flamingo is a Portuguese word that has penetrated in many European languages. Flamingo in Russian, English and German, flamant in French, flamingi in Polish, flamenco in Spanish and plameňáci in Czech. Flamingo is translated from Latin as «flame», as the root of this word «flamma» means flame, fire or heat, which very accurately reflects the colour of these birds.

19 May 2022

Planet of animals

Alabay – the Most Ancient Dog Breed

This breed has several names. It is called the Turkmen Alabay, or the Central Asian shepherd dog, or the Turkmen wolfhound. Experts believe that this is the earliest dog breed on the planet, the only breed that has remained uninfluenced by other breeds and preserved its ancient genotype intact. Alabay, as well as the Ahalteke horse and the Tazy hunting dog, are considered by the Turkmen people their national treasures.

4 March 2022

Planet of animals

Taking Care of Faithful Friend – Alabay

In recent years, the unprecedented conditions have been created to promote the Alabay breed, and much work is to be done in the near future. In 2020, the President approved the projects of the Alabay Breeding Centres, which are to be built in Ashgabat and the Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary velayats. The first facilities have been opened: a specialised dog nursery and a veterinary clinic. After the establishment of the International Association of the Turkmen Alabay and the beginning of the work towards inscribing the art of raising and breeding of the alabay into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the centuries-old passion of the Turkmen people for improving the breed takes on a new direction of development, and the importance of the efforts of cynologists and amateur breeders in taking care of the living embodiment of the heritage of the ancient Turkmen land increases. In accordance with the Decree of President

25 February 2022

Planet of animals

Camel’s ,milk is medicine of illness

Saying «Camels are the world animals», «The rich man with camels is rich by the world treasure» the Turkmen people paid a great respect to camels. The camel’s meat, milk, wool are also have medicinal properties. Because of endurance of camel of waterless situation its meat is considered the medicine fighting against hot dry wind. Because even in the very hot days of summer camel can walk a week without water. The camel’s milk is considered as an invaluable natural beverage in strengthening the human body. It contains different oils. The camel’s milk, agaran, is a very valuable drink for quenching thirst. Besides that it is also a remedy for treating the diseases of kidneys and lungs. The clothes made of camel’s wool are medicinal and pleasant for human body. The table-cloth made of camel’s wool is considered sacred among the Turkmen people and the whole Muslim world. The species of arvana and bugra of camels which reached our days are considered one of the successes in cattle-breeding of our ancestors. Camel breeding is considered as a special art among the Turkmen people. Our ancestors considered Soltan Veyis as the sacred father of camels and they organized parties in honour of him. During centuries the caravans of camels traveled constantly along the Great Silk Road. In the last years different diets are kept in European countries to keep healthy the body. But in spite of h

28 January 2022

Planet of animals

A Fluffy Pet next to Us

According to scientists, the ancestor of the domestic cat appeared 9 million years ago, and it was domesticated later than other animals. Africa is considered its homeland. When the fertile land of ancient Egypt gave rise to intensive farming, probably 9,000 years ago, farmers faced a problem. Rodents are crowded where there is a lot of grain. Fluffy pets were their only salvation from rodents. In gratitude, the ancient Egyptians let cats, or rather, wild Nubian cat that was somewhat domesticated at that time, into their homes. Together with their hunting qualities, the beauty of these animals delighted the owners of the houses, who deified their pets. According to Herodotus, the ancient Egyptians embalmed and buried cats in special stony sanctuaries.

26 November 2021

Planet of animals

The Turkmen horse is the specimen of swiftness and beauty

During the Epoch of Might and Happiness under the guidance of our esteemed President protecting the cultural heritage of our people who made a great contribution to the development of the world culture during millennia, enriching and popularizing it in the world are one of the primary trends. In our country a wide range of works carried out on giving new shades to national traditions connected with horse breeding art of the pure Ahal-Teke horses, the roots of which go back to ancient times, on enriching them with the new content and on drawing actively the young generation in horse-riding sport. Besides that wide-scale works on further improving of the pure Ahal-Teke horses are carried out in our country. Our horses, which are the inseparable part of national and world culture, serve as the source of inspiration for poets, artists, sculptors during centuries by their beauty, harmony, quickness and faithfulness. Because the national value created by our ancestors and given to the world attracts the attention of well-known scientists, horse breeders.

25 November 2021

Planet of animals

International association turkmen alabay dogs in international relations

The Turkmen people are known for their significant contribution to the material and cultural treasures of the world, preserving their national values throughout their ancient history. The Akhal-Tekke horses, Turkmen carpets, Turkmen Alabay dogs are our national values, which are formed at the level of unique art. The Turkmen alabay dog belongs to the world-famous breed of dogs, which has been considered a loyal companion and friend from ancient times to the present day. It is the pride and inalienable protector of the nation. Its statues found in Altyndepe and Gonurdepe, Parthian rites depicting a dog found in ancient Nisa, paintings on the walls evidence about their roots in the history of mankind.

15 April 2021

Planet of animals

The Turkmen Horse is the model of quickness and beauty

The Akhal-Tekke horses, the pride of our people have become the valuable part of the world culture. The books written by our National Leader, devoted to Turkmen horses becoming popular in the world created wide opportunities not only for our people but for the world community to get acquainted with valuable information about Turkmen horses. Our people connect their great traditions, their world outlook and great successes with horses. Our esteemed President in his book «A Horse — a Symbol of Faithfulness and Happiness» tells about the interconnection of the past, present and future. Besides that our National Leader notes in his books that Turkmen horse became the symbol of beauty, perfection, devotion, natural harmony, human talent and diligence. Today the Akhal-Tekke horse with its rapid pace has become the symbol of great achievements in the development of our Fatherland. Our National Leader expressing with his whole spirit the respect and love of our people for horses, the works on taking care about horses, protection of the purity of species of Akhal-Tekke horses, increasing their number put on the level of the state policy. The National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse held in our country every year in reality is one of the bright symbols of the best customs and traditions of our people and such values have created the unique culture, spirit of the nation. In accordance with o

15 April 2021

Planet of animals