2023-05-17 07:29:21
At an icy ridge at 3,950 meters above sea level, three men are balancing over the slate rock. Just ahead of them, the Tien Shan Mountains drop steeply to the Ashutor Glacier. They stop on a rock above the glacier. One of the three pulls a plastic box measuring 10 by 20 centimeters out of his backpack. He attaches it to the rock with an elastic band. It’s a camera trap, functional down to minus 50 degrees. In sight: one of the most mysterious big cats on earth.
Welcome to the realm of the snow leopard! The Tien Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan, or the Heavenly Mountains as they are known locally, are ideal terrain for one of the world’s most elusive big cats. The rare animal, which hardly anyone ever sees, roams icy heights between 3000 and 5500 meters to hunt marmots, Siberian ibexes and giant wild sheep.
Just how much longer? That is the question, because the approaching civilization, illegal hunting for skins and bones, desperate shepherds and global warming are causing problems for the rare cat of prey.
Volunteers collect feces and set up camera traps
For some time now, amateur scientists have been able to help study the lives of animals and thereby help protect them. The non-profit organization Biosphere Expeditions offers programs for recreational explorers in which participants help scientists collect data. And that’s important, because the scientists keep explaining that they can only protect the big cats if they have enough data about the life of the animals.
We, a group of twelve volunteers from Germany, England and the USA, accompany the researchers in their work for almost two weeks. Our camp consists of a few yurts. We sleep tightly wrapped up in our sleeping bags in tents.
Source: Infographic WORLD
Early in the morning we start our exploration tours through the deserted valleys of the Tien Shan Mountains. With our binoculars we spot sheep and ibexes at the foot of the ridges and hear the warning calls of the shy marmots. In our work, we record every imaginable lead, take faecal samples and set up camera traps together with the rangers.
For more than 20 years, laypersons have been able to conduct research together with professionals in numerous countries around the world. Biosphere Expeditions was founded in 1999 by Dr. Matthew Hammer. Hammer studied biology at the University of Oxford. It was there that he discovered his passion for field research.
Today his company offers expeditions to almost a dozen countries – wolves in Germany, sea turtles in Costa Rica, leopards in South Africa and snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan. The expedition members do not need any special knowledge. You will be given everything you need to know during the introduction.
Snow leopard fur and bones are in high demand
In Kyrgyzstan, Biosphere Expeditions works closely with the nature conservation organization Nabu, which has been trying to protect the rare big cats for years. “We are only at the beginning of our knowledge of the snow leopard and its range,” says Amantur Talgartbek, who accompanies the volunteer expeditions.
Talgartbek belongs to the anti-poaching unit Bars, which was created around the turn of the millennium with the help of the Nabu. “The aim is to use the collected data to create an expert opinion on the snow leopard and its prey. The larger the database, the more meaningful the research is.”
Snow leopards live as solitary animals in mountainous regions. With their big paws they move safely in the snow
Quelle: Getty Images/Kathleen Reeder Wildlife Photography
Every morning our eyes feast when we look out of the tent at the rugged peaks and the green meadows below. The hikes over the flower-covered high pastures at this time of the year lead through grandiose landscapes. Only with a snow leopard sighting it does not want to work.
No wonder: In Kyrgyzstan, where up to 1,400 snow leopards lived in the mid-1980s, scientists estimate the population today at no more than 350 animals. In the 13 countries where snow leopards live, there are said to be only 6,600 animals in total.
The problem: A single skin fetches 20,000 euros on the black market. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the bones are said to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain. In addition, it is difficult and time-consuming to capture an ibex or a giant wild sheep.
A leopard sits in its hide for hours, sometimes even days – and nothing moves. If the hunger gets too big, the focus is on the lambs, calves and foals of the shepherds. Again and again on our hikes we visit shepherds who have driven their animals to the summer pastures, to listen to their concerns and to enter incidents into the prepared forms of the scientists.
Human-animal conflicts in Kyrgyzstan
On one of these days we meet Talantbek Bayaliev. A few days ago a snow leopard killed one of his horses. For Bayaliev, the death of his animal is not only an emotional, but above all an economic loss. A horse costs 20,000 Kyrgyz som, almost 210 euros. A lot of money in a country where the average monthly income is little more than 300 euros.
The shepherd Talantbek Bayaliev crouches sadly by his horse, which was killed by a snow leopard
Source: SRT-Archivbild/www.srt-bild.de
This is also why the scientists conduct their research, because they are working on solutions for the local shepherds. “With the knowledge gained on our expeditions, we will hopefully soon be able to take measures that are good for both sides – for people and animals,” says Bars-Ranger Talgartbek.
You can trudge through the deserted valleys of the Tien Shan Mountains for weeks without seeing a snow leopard. At some point you might find a trace, with a bit of luck even some feces. Our result after almost two weeks of field research: some blurred images of ibex, sheep and marmots from the camera traps, a bag full of leopard droppings and the photos and GPS data of a track.
“It’s relatively fresh, maybe even from this summer,” Talgartbek says when we get back to camp. That really says it all about the rare big cat. In the evening, researchers and amateur researchers celebrate the find with plenty of Kyrgyz vodka.
Additional Information: There are several organizations that offer fellow explorer trips. At Biosphere Expeditions, the 14-day snow leopard expedition costs 2840 euros. The flight comes along. There are three dates on offer in July and August 2023. More information is available at biosphere-expeditions.org. Earthwatch also has numerous research trips in its program (earthwatch.or).
Participation in the trip was supported by Biosphere Expeditions. Our standards of transparency and journalistic independence can be found at axelspringer.com/de/werte/downloads.
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