ULAN BATOR, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 200 marmots have been recently reintroduced in the eastern Mongolian province of Sukhbaatar, the provincial department of environment and tourism said Tuesday.
"200 Mongolian marmots aged 1-4 have been brought from the Khustai National Park to seven locations in the province, of which 59 are male and 141 are female," the department said in a statement.
The move is part of the country's efforts to maintain an ecological balance and protect natural resources, it said.
While hunting marmots is illegal in the country, the Mongolian marmot population has been decreasing dramatically. In 2021, Mongolia imposed a three-year ban on hunting marmots to prevent the bubonic plague from spreading, which has helped stabilize the current range and population size of marmots in the country. ■