Thank you for your participation in preserving the rare muskrat!

Help the Nature and People Foundation install camera traps in the protected area of ​​the Oka Nature Reserve. This will allow us to assess the state of the population of the unique Russian muskrat in the restored water bodies and make further work more effective. The muskrat is a small animal from the mole family that appeared on the planet during the time of mammoths about 40 million years ago! It lives in floodplain water bodies with very clean water and is an indicator of their ecological well-being. Today, the species is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book. One of the largest known muskrat groups lives on the territory of the Oka Nature Reserve. Here it is protected from poaching, but the number of this population has decreased by 90% - to 200 individuals! For the successful existence of the animal on this territory, the Nature and People Foundation is implementing a long-term project to deepen and clear water bodies. In the winter of 2024-25, 5 water bodies were restored. For the sustainable existence of the population, at least 25 more water bodies need to be restored. In order for scientists to be able to effectively continue their work in the protected area of ​​the Oka Reserve, camera traps with solar batteries equipped with memory cards and SIM cards must be installed along their banks and in adjacent territories in the summer of 2025. In order to select places for installing camera traps, the Foundation will use an aerial infrared UAV, for which the missing spare parts will be purchased.