Klonk is represented by red fox ("Vulpes vulpes)", European badger ("Meles meles"), wood mouse ("Apodemus sylvaticus") and other, usually common species. The goal of the protection plan is to secure the important geological profile and preserve it for future study. Klonk is mainly threatened by amateur palaeontologists who expect a rich locality, however the location is important mainly due to microfossils. Another threat is the overgrowing of vegetation, which has been successfully removed mechanically and by herbicides in the past. The removal of unwanted vegetation should also help the return of the original vegetation, which used to be strongly influenced by
Meles (genus) Primorskii. Genetic studies of mitochondrial DNA shows the separation of two variants on either side of the Volga but their exact taxonomic rank remains undefined. A further study of cheek teeth from individuals across the entire range supports this division and provides confirmation that "M. meles" and "M. anakuma" are indeed separate species. A further species is "Meles thorali" from the late Pleistocene, known only from fossil remains, specimens of which have been found at Saint-Vallier, Drôme, in southeastern France and Binagady, in Azerbaijan. These have large cheek teeth and characteristics intermediate between "M. meles" and "M. anakuma". It is