The BBC recently published an alarming article about the continued big cat skin trade in China. Buying and selling big cat skins is illegal in China, but a recent undercover investigation revealed the relative ease with which one can acquire big cat skins, which are sold as “luxury items”. Here’s an excerpt: “Covert filming by …
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Saikhan and Shonkhor stop for a bite, Aztai on patrol
This week’s map looks quite a bit like last week’s. Saikhan (green) is still in hanging out in the core of Aztai’s (yellow) home range and appears to have made at least one kill; he was at the same location from October 22nd to 24th, and at a second location from the 25th-26th. Shonkhor (purple) …
Shonkhor explores, Aztai feeds
The last two weeks must have been the calm before the storm, as the cats are on the move again. Saikhan left the Tost Mountains on October 16th, made a brief visit to Toson Bumba very near the area where Itgel was captured, before showing up practically on top of the research camp on October …
Koustubh Awarded Grant for Field Training Kit
Koustubh Sharma, Regional Field Biologist for the Trust, recently was awarded a Rufford Small Grant for Nature Conservation. It will help fund the development and implementation of a field training tool kit including a set of field equipment (for demonstration), and friendly audio-visual materials including presentations, spreadsheets, necessary software and manuals/booklets to promote snow leopard …
Bayara Wins Wild Cat Conservation Prize
We are thrilled to announce that Bayarjargal (Bayara) Agvaantseren, our Mongolia Country Director, has won the prestigious 2009 Rabinowitz-Kaplan Prize for the Next Generation in Wild Cat Conservation. The $25,000 prize awarded by Panthera, recognizes Bayara’s tireless efforts to protect snow leopard at both a local and national level in Mongolia. Wonderful achievement, Bayara!
Shonkhor has the vapors
The cats were pretty quiet again this week. Shonkhor continues to be a bit ‘bolder’ in his explorations than we’ve seen in the past. He visited the corridor area in the western Tost mountains and also ventured about 5km further west in Toson Bumba than we’ve seen him go before.
Calm in the Gobi
Things are relatively quiet in the Gobi this week. All of our radio-collared cats are just ‘patrolling’ small areas. It’ll be interesting to see if Saikhan remains in that part of the Tost Mountains or heads off on another trek.
Itgel's collar found, but no Itgel
We just received word from Bayara that the Governor and his team were able to locate Itgel’s collar. There was no sign of Itgel, however, so it seems likely that he was finally able to push the collar over his head. He was a smaller cat and the collar was ill-fitting, so Orjan and I …
Heading East
Both Saikhan (green) and Shonkhor (purple) have continued their eastward movement. Shonkhor is now within 3.5 km of the site where Itgel was trapped, so hopefully he won’t run into any trouble with traps set for wolves in that area.
Saikhan heads east, Aztai takes it easy
After spending most of the past two weeks in the eastern part of the Toson Bumba Mountains, Itgel (orange) has moved nearly 15 km west, back towards the site where he was radio-collared. Saikhan (green) is continuing his eastward movement in the Tost Mountains, while Shonkhor (purple) has made repeated ~20 km movements back and …