Few good and one very bad news (Monday, April 4, 2005)
Chingiz after flying through north Barma and later China in a very slow pace speeded up significantly. Whereas before the end of March he was more or less roaming around his wintering place now we can clearly say that he is on his way to his nest. During three (or maybe four) days Chingiz flew 750 kilometers and will very soon be in the middle of his return journey to China.
Tuya is as well continuing relatively quickly towards her home. In three days (31. 3. to 2. 4.) she managed to cover a distance of 450 kilometers.
The bad news is regarding Altynai. She did not reach Hindukush and will not reach it with a probability of 99%. On the basis of satellite data we can almost certainly say that she died near the Indus River in Pakistan. She died - or was killed? Yesterday we sent this news to our Pakistani friends in WWF Pakistan. They immediately replied and started working. The promptness and willingness of WWF Pakistan is incredible. After only few hours our friends had a contact on a man who is in charge of a community of farmers near the place where Altynais journey ended. As well as that an employee of WWF Mr. Uzma Khan will depart to that region very soon. Hopefully we will find out more information about Altynais fate soon...