The Snow Leopard Friendly Vaccination Program was evaluated in 2008 and found mature enough for expansion. We surveyed the north and eastern part of Chitral District, North West Frontier Province (NWFP), particularly the valleys of Laspu, Yarkun, Mastuj and Torkho. They not only cover substantial snow leopard range, but also provide connections with Gilgit and …
News & Stories
News from Base Camp: Trap Cameras, Herder Interviews, and our Long-Term GPS Study
(Photo of Aztai by Stephen Sparrow, courtesy of SLT/Panthera) We’re in the third year of our long-term snow leopard study and it’s been a busy field season. In June, our crew installed 40 automatic camera traps in the mountains, at locations such as saddles or steep canyons that are used avidly by snow leopards. The …
Follow the Cats Update: Zaraa Enters the Badlands
(Map Courtesy of SLT/Panthera) We are happy to announce that the collars worn by Aztai, Khavar and Zaraa continue to work fabulously, uploading up to 80% of the scheduled locations; those of Shonkhor, Tsagaan, Saikhan and Devekh seem to be under-performing. The good news is that Orjan will be returning to the field shortly (he …
Protected Area Proposal in Mongolia Passes Township and District Levels
As we’ve been reporting, mining currently threatens landscapes used by herders and wildlife in the South Gobi, in particular the Tost Mountains surrounding our long-term study. In past entries, we told you how Bayara, our Mongolia Country Director, was leading community meetings in the Tost Township. These meetings resulted in a unified effort by the …
Video: A Snow Leopard Family in Zurich
Snow Leopard Trust supporter Emmanuel Keller sent us this wonderful video of Zoo Zurich’s snow leopard family. You can see Mother (Dshamilja), Father (Villy), and Daughter (two-month-old Kailash) spending some quality time together in their steep enclosure. The video was filmed by “MyFisherman01” on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyFisherman01
Our Most Recently Collared Female Snow Leopard Has Been Photographed!
Zaraa, the most recent addition to our long term collaring study, has finally been photographed! Her name, meaning “hedgehog” in Mongolian, is perfect for this small and fluffy young snow leopard. She is the second female to be collared since the start of this program, but the first female slipped her collar within days, making it impossible …
Base Camp Mongolia: Our Summer Research Goals
There is one more week left before Orjan takes a break from fieldwork. He will head back to Sweden soon, and he’ll return to the base camp in late August to begin the next collaring season, which will run through mid-December. Various other studies are planned in the South Gobi over the next couple of …
GPS Study Update: Shonkor's Next Move, Aztai and Khavar's Overlapping Ranges
(Follow the Cats posts are usually accompanied by a satellite map, but Koustubh, our map-maker, is currently in the field collecting data.) The first two weeks of May, Shonkhor had all of us guessing about his next move. He had embarked on an incredible journey 60 km to the west of base camp, and we …
The Mongolian Death Worm: An Update from Orjan
Orjan is a Swedish PhD student who works at the base camp of our long-term research project in Mongolia. These are his adventures… All collars are out, all hunting sites have been checked, and I think that I have found a new area for collaring in the autumn. I don’t know why I haven’t thought …
Recently Collared Female Snow Leopard Has Been Named: "Zaraa"
The newest member of our long-term study, a young female snow leopard, has been named. Initially known as F2, she has been named Zaraa, which means “hedgehog” in Mongolian. A furry, fluffy, and relatively small creature by snow leopard standards (she weighs 25 kg), her name is quite fitting. We’re very excited to learn more …