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the future covered. down by the official anti up location. i pod touch from the i choose up still. life. video on demand parties my fuel costs and this feeds now in the palm of your. question. among the snowy peaks gorges rocks english years of the greater caucasian mountain

range lies the republic of north the set. in the mountains where men rarely venture wild nature lives on untouched. the habitat of the caucasian go and other animals is guarded closely here. from the top of the mountains the rivers rush into hundreds of strings which turn into endless waterfalls. this fanciful landscape attracts many rock climbers they can make their own roof among the rocks canyons and mountain tops up to four thousand meters. in spring time the weather here can change several times in

a day the landscape is slowly coming to life snowdrops are the first flowers to welcome the warmth of spring the tiny blossoms lurk in last year's grass. the gorge the river is the reserves mean waterway water is only just beginning to flood it's why. in early spring people used the river to get to the rocky range where a cave known as should be. is situated along a tributary of the larger river nature reserve staff only learned about its existence by chance when you're not here we had not been aware of its existence for ten years when locals told us about it they said sheep had once been sheltered in the caves first tunnel when we first came here we did see tracks left by sheep yes that's right i remember the first time i came here we did see tracks left by sheep

. the cave extends for more than a kilometer several narrow corridors hide a large central chamber and caves the walls are covered in drip stones still lack tights and still like months. on the north caucasus largest hibernates deep underneath the ground they represent the red books and sheets and mouse and the horseshoe nosed that more than two thousand bats gather here in the winter they cuddle together in order to survive the cold weather in summer they fly to the foothills and return again in autumn they start preparing for migration in early spring when they split up into smaller groups. sometimes i find all of the pots covered with jew. and they look very nice like covered in tinsel. ok visit

closed ecosystem the humidity is one hundred percent and the temperature in the caves is constant which is exactly what bats need. humans should avoid staying in the caves for too long as they start to have an impact on the special climate conditions fuck about that with lucy we keep thinking that guys can you hear them calling me you know this means we've warmed up their confined habitat. i.e. if they start flying around they will use up their fat and may not survive until spring. so like let's get out of here. on the way back the rangers run into an unexpected obstacle to our john river bed starts to filling with water and water is now blocking their path.

a few hours later no vehicle will be able to clear this hurdle the only path to the cave will be gradually immersed in water and will be impossible to use it again before next spring. they are doing river springs from the glaciers of the greater caucasus mountain range it runs the length of the nature reserve scientists say more than one hundred mountain streams and springs swiftly replenish the ana dawn with water. punching in the reserves prohibited armed rangers make daily rounds in its territory as a rule their routes run through the wooded slopes of mountain gorges. and

wild boars inhabit the foothills unfortunately they still fall easy prey to hunters because they're obvious targets they lay grazing in open spaces and rarely go uphill. and. lyn march scattered across the reserve reflect the history of. people first began using caves and overhanging rocks as dwellings times. the loans where the ancestors of. they built stone fortifications overlooking the mountain pass so they'd be more easily defensible. in those days even temper lanes for marty army was unable to cross this territory the highlanders blocked the mountain passes and

pelted his troops with stones. these tell was began to built in the middle ages their earliest period dates back to the fourteenth or seventeenth century. tallish of the most celebrated architectural landmarks of ancient north to set it they differ in height and shape as a rules large extended families lived in wide short. taller ones were used as lookout points and for other defensive purposes the towers were built close to villages and in gorges with paths used by troops on foot and on horseback many were extensions of forbidding clips. rock faces. provided protection from clan infighting and common the verse or is tell was served as. if people manning was

tell was in the lowest lying villages at the entrance to the door which noticed approaching enemy troops then they would lie going full as people in all the towers so the smoke signal was in remote parts of the gorge. in accordance with a long standing tradition building a tower was to take no more than a year if builders failed to meet the deadline destruction was pulled down and built a new towers belonging to the same clan were regarded as sanctuaries in due course they became symbols of the clans power and wealth as time went by they turned into veritable objects of worship. one of the most revered sanctuaries of the a set in people is a medieval architectural site called the decorum located in it's a scary gorge eighteen hundred meters above sea level.

what they're going to find you alike contest indicates that that cease could last year disappeared from here in the tenth or eleventh century with. this fence was built a couple of centuries later at the lovely initially an orthodox church was here but when orthodoxy grew weaker it was turned into a pagan sanctuary. to hear this calls are oren's of animals killed by hunters who were brought here. scientists don't yet know exactly when they recalled was built only logs were used to make it no nails or anything made of iron carved poll support the wooden roof they feature patterns that look like a camel's head resting on a long neck but if arrow and spirit heads have been

found here according to legend or old assyrian principles bugout tar was captured with rumor has it that even travelers as in this place in the eighteenth century saw it when the. only natural features are destined to be the reserves eternal landmarks. over the centuries water and wind have crafted unique mountain landscapes. many of them are hidden from the inquisitive eyes of tourists. only the staff of the nature reserve are aware of their vocation. flip over the top of this will file is called the ring and it is a unique natural feature of this century. has broken through lying stone beds here to make a hole in the shape of a ring there will reflect that it forms

a rainbow. waterfalls like this one are rare not only in the caucasus but in the entire world the stone rate is about two metres wide. its broadest part consists of three layers of limestone the age of the rock is estimated between one hundred and one hundred twenty million years for. more than a start and the most of these absolutely pure i would say it's the standard for natural water it's forms in the coast examined in the limestone of the carry range there also is crystal clear up to filtering through many kilometers of limestone not over. the current since he came in with rock terraces grados and knishes begins right under the ring waterfall it took the cards i don't know the stream thousands of years to force its way through the raw food.

midstream with a few thoughts weighing many tons tumble down from cliff tops and terrace edges a stream a mines a new moves through the stones and blockages this is where trolled. very clean water for life but it's a rare species in the mountain streams of the caucuses. the canyons must seawalls date back to the jurassic period and winter they're covered with ice. they're known as weeping walls because of the constant dripping water and some of. the reserves mountain streams overflow their banks in early spring but they're not the main threat to the mountain paths rockslide said in with the arrival of warm

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i . in spring caucasian goats open mating season in the mountains of the north of nature reserve. this is the best time for observing what are otherwise quite secretive animals and scientists take full advantage of the opportunity. getting to their habitats is quite a problem though avalanches stand in the way. one of them is walk the road leading

to the field done gorge where rangers have seen cull kasia. lead a little chill under normal conditions so we can go on to the village off a log by car with no we'll have to walk because the he's some hundred metres wide is the effect there have been civil actions here a week ago the avalanche fell here i'm sure we'll try to take another road i mean the upper road. i the trains caucuses highways the reserves most avalanche prone area with up to two hundred fifty avalanches each season thanks. to snow slide can be set off from a shelter from skis stretching it slightly or from a drift of snow. wet snow usually slides down slowly from the slope and avalanche

of dry snow is the fastest and most dangerous current. that's the plan it was called is in place yes everything's ready. in north as said special militia fights avalanche six. attention a lot. more an accurate shot since the snow flowing downwards. lead. an avalanche fill and if you're done gorge during the night nobody was hit by snow slabs but the road was entirely blocked caucasian goats are grazing somewhere in the mountains and rangers will have to go on foot to reach them. i mean this i will answer kearney a few days ago about a week ago. since then was it higher then sure

a couple of metres all right let's go and. some time ago there was a good chance of people encountering caucasian goats on the mountain pads today scientists tend to observe them through their binoculars these graceful animals prefer the higher altitudes. caucasian goats have no difficulty clearing steep slopes they almost never slip off as they know how to spread their center of gravity evenly and choose the right foot hold and they have no fear of heights and. the east caucasian variety of goats inhabits this reserve it's possible to tell them apart by the shape of their horns. with them for for graham girls have warrants in the form of a partial spiral. like this like it but i. spiral up or it's

the right horn cones to the left and the left horn points to the right. cohesion goats are riled animals but high in the mountains they often allow rock climbers to come surprisingly close. to. the water the width the typical eat my damn matter of ten meters if he goes have got used to the presence of people or the only over them. the goods are quite tolerant of them near the training camps up for rock climbers ride or when they camp out for the night up in the mountains and in. the rope. there are many fascinating routes for climbing through see a sweep in the reserve law they often use the cliff faces in glaciers for training

any ascent is always fraught with risk. a small cliff is the best place for training and testing out new gear right. careful as it all down from here. what were once phones ourselves in an extreme situation there was strong gusts of wind during our ascends visibility was a mia ten metres in those conditions so we couldn't climb down from the top of the mountain where i was a beginner in rock climbing that was my third climb needless to say i was very scared a wise climber never ventures into the mountains alone three climbers is the minimum number. summer is the ideal season for challenging climates. and spring climbers examine

the best way to get out the mountains work out new routes and compare mountain terrain with its map descriptions. of. what we are going to the ice prince. let's try and climb through that snow there and come from the right side through the rock. shooting rock steer. well we'll see when we reach the place. which i thought ok let's get going. climbing even to the lower peaks of the mountain range takes no small effort. the air is humid and rarefied the sun is blinding snow may collapse at any moment the climbers have to exert themselves to conquer the flood mountain just. in accordance with tradition and once the

top the summit rock climbers drink tea with bitter chocolate. to help yourself. but you know why am i here what attracts me to the mountains that's the most difficult question i can think of i don't think any climber or famine stream sports could answer it simply i enjoy rock climbing and the beautiful landscape. just descends on the mountains rapidly and in spring the weather could change very quickly and climbers need to get down as fast as possible. mazes received in. their group reached the top at thirteen forty five when they getting that ascends what's the weather like just fine everything's ok going down. yes thanks. the bulk of the reserve is situated along the bulk of we range

where the slopes are steep and rocky some of the peaks are four and a half kilometers above sea level rocks stones in glaciers are scattered all around . discussed the scheme resort is situated in a glaciers melt in mrs currie gorge. reserve

staff get down to the most important work at the height of the springtime ski season they're going to release this small bison herd into the wild for the time being the animals graze in a special pen. these bison have lived in captivity since birth the blood of a wild ox by the name of copper because flows in their veins cause was sent to a private nursery after being caught in one thousand no seven i did russian empire while on a hunting expedition when all the bison had been exterminated in the north caucasus it was come cause at the forefront of the restoration of the caucasian bison subspecies. it's a do for a great grandson of golf caused by the name of the book though was born on or nine hundred twenty five with the a as far as i can gather it was the forefather all the caucasian subspecies of the bison in one thousand and thirty s. he was taken to us carney in nova with a soviet nature reserve and there he meet it with

a female bill or was by some of the it was the origin of a bison subspecies with location blood who would it. since early this morning reserve staff had been trying to compel the bison to enter special cages for transportation during their quarantine period animals became accustomed to their pen and learn to trust people so they're in no hurry to go out and they're wild. after several and successful attempts one of the females is lurd into the cage and now the herd will follow suit mice and are known for their matriarchal behavior. come on faster if you're a well done. the bison steadfastly endured their temporary captivity while on their way to their new habitat.

the return of caucasian bison to the wild is a joint project undertaken by the north essential nature reserve and the world wildlife fund. everything's ready so we go yes let's go. to. the bison already accustomed to the wild graze nearby. it's not yet known whether they'll accept or reject their newcomers. the forests and the mountains are beyond human influence. three. all that's left for the reserve staff to do is monitor the animals and preserve this protected area of the north caucasus.

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