A Maternity Ward for Animals: Inside Kerzhensky Reserve

The Kerzhensky Nature Reserve is an island of pristine nature in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. On the left bank of the Kerzhenets River, scientists work to restore and preserve the local ecosystem: dense forests, ancient bogs, and rare bird and animal species. Olga Gorelovskaya, a methodologist in the reserve«s environmental education department, told NN.RU about the purpose of the reserve and how life is organized there.

How the Reserve Was Established

Scientists began discussing the creation of a reserve in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in the early 20th century. In 1940, specialists from Moscow State University arrived to study the area along the Kerzhenets River. They planned to protect 1,000 square kilometers on both sides of the river.

After the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, these plans had to be postponed. Later, timber was needed to rebuild cities, so a logging site was set up on the territory of what is now the settlement of Rustai.

When most of the trees were cut down and the young saplings planted to replace them had not yet grown, logging was halted. Gradually, nature began to recover, and in the 1970s, plans to establish a reserve in the area were revived. However, recreating the full biodiversity now required much more time.

The official opening date of the Kerzhensky Reserve is April 1993. The protected area covers 470 square kilometers—half the originally planned size. This is comparable to the area of Nizhny Novgorod before the Kstovsky District was incorporated into the city.

One of the key features of the site is its bog massifs, which are about 10,000 years old. The reserve is also part of a key ornithological territory of global importance. Rare birds listed in the Red Book come here to live and nest, including the pied oystercatcher, golden eagle, eagle owl, and kingfisher.

Moreover, drawing on the sad experience of an area severely damaged by fires and human intervention, scientists observe natural self-recovery processes and reintroduce vanished animal species.

Despite strict rules and the protected status of the area, tourists have the opportunity to see pristine nature. Excursions are conducted only along designated routes, where paths are laid with special decking to avoid harming the soil and plants. There are also restrictions on visits during certain periods, such as the bird nesting season.

These measures are not without reason. Even seemingly harmless actions can disturb local inhabitants, says Olga Gorelovskaya. For example, a person boating along the Kerzhenets might moor on the shore of the protected area, step out to look around, and then leave—unaware that a nest with eggs of a rare Red Book pied oystercatcher was hidden in the sand. As a result, the bird may fly away, abandoning its clutch, and never return.

«In the spring and summer, the reserve can be compared to a large maternity ward. In ordinary forests, people walk, harvest timber, pick berries, and gather mushrooms. But there must be an untouchable food reserve and such a »maternity ward« where animals come, calmly raise their offspring, and then fly away or scatter further,» said Olga Gorelovskaya.

For animals and birds, the reserve becomes an island of tranquility. For this reason, dogs are not allowed, music is prohibited, and the number of people on excursions is limited.

Who Lives There

The reserve«s forests are home to about 50 species of mammals, including bears, wolves, lynxes, and foxes. Fortunately, the chance of encountering them during a walk is low—animals avoid humans and sense their approach from several kilometers away.

But among the reserve«s inhabitants are also those that can only be seen under a microscope. The protected area hosts more than 650 species of vascular plants and 400 species of fungi, as well as countless algae and arthropods.

«The reserve»s task is to preserve biological diversity—the full variety of species in this territory. We keep a closer watch on Red Book species, but we try to preserve all species. If you remove one brick from a wall, then another, eventually the structure will collapse,« explains Olga Gorelovskaya. »It«s the same in nature: first one species is destroyed, then a second, a third. It seems imperceptible, but eventually irreversible changes will occur, affecting humans too.»

Throughout the year, staff of the Kerzhensky Reserve monitor animal populations. For example, wolves, foxes, and deer are tracked in winter by their tracks in the snow, while bears are counted in summer after emerging from hibernation.

However, it is impossible to give an exact count of inhabitants. Animals from neighboring areas also appear on the reserve«s territory. For instance, after severe fires in Nizhny Novgorod forests in 2010, more than a hundred moose crossed into the reserve.

Precision is also needed in counting the plants that local animals feed on.

«For example, if there is a poor pine cone harvest, the number of mice and squirrels will decrease the following year. This is a natural process, also known as »waves of life«—natural population fluctuations. But a year later, there are fewer martens. Although the marten is a predator that doesn»t eat cones, it feeds on squirrels and mice. So everything is closely interconnected,« said Olga Gorelovskaya.

To ensure enough reserves for everyone, collecting berries, herbs, or mushrooms is prohibited in the reserve. There is no need to worry that unharvested crops will go to waste—animals and birds from other areas come here in search of food.

«Many people now use berry pickers and see nothing wrong with it. But when we pick by hand, we take only the large ripe berries, leaving the small ones for the birds, and everyone is satisfied. With this machine, there is wholesale collection, so birds go hungry. We then return to point No. 1 about interconnection in nature. Many birds fly here, where that very untouchable reserve exists,» the methodologist explains.

The Reintroduced Deer

Since 2014, under an assignment from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, the reserve has been restoring the population of the forest reindeer. This subspecies inhabited the Trans-Volga part of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast 400 years ago. According to scientists of that time, herds of 40 or even 50 animals lived in the region. Later, people began to settle the northern part of the oblast and hunt ungulates. By the early 20th century, the population had vanished from the region, leaving only the deer emblem on the oblast«s coat of arms as a reminder.

«We received the first pairs of forest reindeer from the Moscow Zoo breeding center. Large zoos have closed areas where rare animals are bred for transfer to various organizations to restore populations. To diversify the gene pool, we also brought deer from Arkhangelsk Oblast,» said Olga Gorelovskaya.

After adaptation, the deer are released into the wild—20 individuals have been released since 2020. Each animal has a numbered tag and a passport recorded in the project«s international database. Additionally, some deer wear collars with satellite transmitters to track their movements and »daily routine« in real time. Since ungulates stay in groups during winter, this provides insights into the life of the entire herd.

«A few years ago, before the New Year, one of the deer wandered to the village of Berezovka. It liked the lichen pine forests and stayed there. Then heavy snowfall began, and finding food became difficult. It then followed the noise and came to the road, where people started feeding it apples and bread. We learned of the situation when we saw a video on social media of our deer eating shawarma. Of course, it shouldn»t have that—its digestive system isn«t adapted to such food. We had to capture the deer and bring it back to the reserve so it wouldn»t die,« said Olga Gorelovskaya.

Footage from Camera Traps

Another way to observe the reserve«s inhabitants is through camera traps. The locations for setting them up are determined by zoologists, who know which trails animals use and where they are in winter and summer. The cameras help determine not just numbers but also the daily activity patterns of animals.

«In winter, when we count mammals, we cross-check the data with camera trap footage. For example, during surveys we see tracks indicating two or three lynxes. But the camera traps show four. We compare images and look at spots because they are like human fingerprints—individual,» said Olga Gorelovskaya.

Sometimes camera traps attract the attention of local inhabitants: once a woodpecker pecked a camera with its beak, and a wolf carried one off. But the most curious are bears, which often try to touch the device with their paw.

«About two years ago, staff set up a camera trap aimed at a trail used by deer. But every time, the deer turned off and bypassed it. Then a bear came to the camera, turned it with its paw in another direction. And the deer began to appear in the frame. So the bear actually helped us,» the methodologist recalls.

At night, the glowing light of a camera trap becomes a magnet for wolves. Footage often shows predators examining and sniffing the camera.

How to Visit the Reserve

The reserve has four eco-trails open to tourists. They wind through forests and bogs. One route circles a demonstration enclosure housing forest reindeer. An entrance ticket costs 180 rubles (about $2) per person. Concessionary visitors must present relevant documents (details are available on the reserve«s website).

For organized groups (10 to 40 people), guided excursions are available by prior reservation.

Visitors can also walk the territory independently. To do so, travel to the village of Rustai in the Bor urban district, where the eco-center is located. After a safety briefing and purchasing a ticket, you can set off to listen to the silence and enjoy the views of untouched nature.

Earlier, we reported that Ichalkovsky Bor in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is known for its large beautiful caves and karst sinkholes. After the creation of the national park, descending into them was banned. We visited these caves earlier—we show what the place, now off-limits, looks like.