A couple of facts about the reserve
(sourced from various websites, i.e. tourist guides, interviews with researchers, news articles etc and rewritten by me;
if you notice false information, please, let me know)
Dzharylhach Natural Reserve is an island in the South of Ukraine (Kherson region), surrounded by the Azov Sea.
The territory of the island is uninhabited by people
There is a lighthouse on the island, and a legend related to it: some say that the lighthouse was built by one of the students of Gustave Eiffel (yup, the renown creator of the Eiffel Tower). Is it true? Who knows :) Feel free to explore the topic further!
Dzharylhach is home to wild animals and endangered (worldwide or locally) species: ~20 types of rare insects, ~69 species of birds from the Red Book of Ukraine, ~15 types of mammals.
Some of those include: Chrysopogon gryllus (plant), Steppe viper (Vipera ursinii), Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), Blotched snake (Elaphe sauromates), Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) (threatened in the Black Sea region), and others.
Sadly, after the russian invasion of Ukraine (2022) the island was occupied by russian troops. it is reported that Russians have destroyed the flora and fauna of the island by using it as one of their military bases (several fires broke out there as well). 100% accurate assessment of the damage to the reserve cannot be carried out right now due to occupation; prospects for the future restorement of the natural reserve remain uncertain.
