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The Reindeer Life Project (RLP) is a dynamic endeavor that seeks to revitalize and protect the Tsaatan reindeer-herding community of northern Mongolia. The Tsaatan are Mongolia’s smallest ethnic minority, and are a nomadic people who depend on reindeer for nearly all aspects of survival. While the community’s way-of-life has remained largely intact for millenia, current threats such as declining reindeer herd health and numbers, lack of socio-economic opportunities, and infectious disease, all stand as threats to the Tsaatan’s ultimate survival.
The RLP’s diverse activities include sustainable economic development initiatives, herder training and consultations, disease research and treatments, and much more. Designed to build capacity at the local level, the RLP restores hope and catalyzes lasting benefits that will help to ensure the sustainable development of the Tsaatan community for many generations to come. |
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Reindeer Life Project Update - October 2006
Itgel’s 2006 field season is still going strong in Mongolia! Our international team of 12 key staff, hailing from USA, Canada, Mongolia, Switzerland, and Norway, continue to make this year one of many accomplishments and adventures. After spending the months of August and September in the taiga with the Tsaatan community, Itgel is now hard at work on project development activities in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar (UB). |
From here in UB we are proud to be sending news of Itgel’s establishment of the Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center, which comes as the result of two years of community-led planning and dialogue. The facility, based in Tsagaan Nuur village of Hovsgol aimag, promises to bring extensive benefits to the Tsaatan reindeer herders such as sustainable economic opportunities in the sectors of handicraft marketing, tourism, and others, improved access to health and human services, and educational opportunities such as herder-requested workshop series. The Center was largely made possible by the generous support of Tom Tarantino & Barbara Scott, and the many volunteers and committed herders who joined us as we prepared the Center for its opening. |
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Our community & herd health initiatives also continue, with lab and field research on calf mortality, reindeer nutrition, infectious diseases, and other ailments. Though remote field conditions and the challenges of researching little-studied ailments such as “Reindeer Brucellosis” sometimes make progress slow in our diagnostic activities, we remain confident that with the help of our partners at Mongolia’s Institute of Veterinary Medicine and international Universities we will soon be able to solve the mysteries pertaining to diseases in this community.
Meanwhile, the treatment and training portion of our work moves steadily forward, consisting of on-site forums with local vet techs, remote diagnostic services, distribution of health education materials to taiga families, and treatments for sick and injured deer. And we are especially proud to send news of a hands-on seminar in Ulaanbaatar we hosted for a young veterinary student named Khosbayar, the first Tsaatan herder to have the opportunity to pursue such a degree. |
For more news and updates, be sure to sign up for Itgel’s newsletter below, or read the latest edition by clicking here. |
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Project Updates At-a-Glance…
Veterinary and Medical Research and Treatments |
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2006 Goals
- Definitively type the Brucella strain affecting the Tsaatan community, and commence a herd-wide vaccination program to interrupt the cycle of infection
- Provide optional screen testing of Brucellosis for Tsaatan herders with the help of Mongolian medical students
- Complete PCR, bacteriological, and parisitological research on an assortment of ailments in this community
- Conduct disease prevention workshops to reduce infection rates, particularly among Tsaatan children and distribute critical medical supplies with the help of volunteer facilitators
- Provide occupational therapy for herders, particularly those suffering from arthritis as a result of Brucellosis
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Previous Accomplishments
- Conducted the first-ever mass screen test for the disease Brucellosis amongst the Tsaatan’s reindeer herds, helping to identify infected animals and reduce human infection potential
- Delivered greatly-needed supplies with the help of Schering Plough Animal Health and other key partners to provide acute relief for the Tsaatan and their deer
- Supported the exchange of world-leading deer veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Haigh, who helped facilitate on-site training workshops for Tsaatan veterinary professionals
- Identified never-before-seen ailments in reindeer and commenced diagnostic research to inform future mitigation efforts
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Community-based Capacity Building |
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2006 Goals
- Complete range research on forage availability and reindeer nutrition, and produce an interactive range guide for use by herders
- Provide consultations on sustainable range utilization that help to protect the unique taiga ecosystem that is home to the Tsaatan
- Conduct exchange workshops with Tsaatan veterinary professionals and visiting international experts to enrich knowledge on both sides
- Support the development of better communications systems, and help to increase access to educational, medical, and economic opportunities
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Previous Accomplishments
- Provided the first-ever herd record-keeping books at the request of Tsaatan herders to support and revitalize herd management techniques and general husbandry practices
- Conducted extensive evaluations of NGO, ecotourism, and other outside visitors’ activities in the Tsaatan community, helping to develop protocol for culturally-sensitive visits and inform future aid efforts
- Participated in seminars, workshops, conferences, and media activities with Tsaatan delegations to advocate for greater consideration and support of their community and fragile taiga home range
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Sustainable Economic & Environmental Development |
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2006 Goals
- Further develop the first-ever Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center by providing educational, medical, and economic training and services at the facility
- Conduct follow-up research on the state of shadow economic activities and their compatibility/affects on reindeer husbandry and the environment
- Promote the development of sustainable economic activities that reduce pressures on local wildlife populations and high-impact utilization of natural resources
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Previous Accomplishments
- Helped to establish the first-ever Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center in conjunction with more than 20 organizational partners in order to create a hub of sustainable development activities
- Conducted research on current shadow economic opportunities, and assessed the benefits vs. consequences to sustainable reindeer husbandry and overall economic development in the community
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Projects | Tsaatan Community & Visitors Center | The Reindeer Life Project | Dadsuren Traditional Music Project | Top
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