A project to compensate herders in the Altai Republic for damages caused by snow leopard attacks is being implemented in the region by the Interregional Association "Irbis" and the Sailugemsky National Park. This time, compensation will be provided to a livestock breeder living near the boundaries of the national park on the Sailugem Ridge.
The snow leopard attacked livestock on two separate occasions in June, killing five goats and sheep and wounding a bull. Both incidents occurred under the cover of darkness.

During the first attack, the herders heard a noise, went outside with a powerful torch, and scared the predator away. The second time, the herders were asleep and did not hear the snow leopard in the enclosure.
The herder has already filed a formal statement, and the attack has been confirmed by a commission from the Sailugemsky National Park, which visited the site.

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This is the first recorded case of a rare snow leopard attacking livestock not in an open pasture, where Altai herders often leave animals unattended, but in an open enclosure located next to the herders' dwelling. This is a highly atypical habitat for the snow leopard. The attack also occurred in an area where snow leopards are rarely seen: it is a gentle valley with no cliffs and wide steppe spaces, offering the predator almost nowhere to hide in case of danger. It is difficult to say if it was the same individual, but it is highly probable

explained Denis Gulyaev, Deputy Director of the Sailugemsky National Park.

National park staff have installed camera traps near the site to monitor for the snow leopard’s return. According to Mr Gulyaev, snow leopards had previously been recorded on camera traps not far from the attack site on the Sailugem Ridge. The animals use this territory as a transit route but do not linger, making these the first recorded attacks on local herders' livestock.
Staff of the Sailugemsky National Park reiterate that snow leopards do not pose a threat to humans.

All known encounters confirm that snow leopards will choose to hide, leave, run away, or observe a human, often with apparent curiosity, but they will not attack. Isolated cases of snow leopard aggression towards people have been recorded elsewhere in the world; all involved females protecting their cubs or animals cornered by humans and defending their lives.
The compensation programme for herders in Altai affected by snow leopard attacks has been run by the Sailugemsky National Park and the "Irbis" Association since 2021. A similar project is supported by the Association in the neighbouring Tyva Republic in partnership with the Ubsunur Hollow Nature Reserve.