The aim of the census was to clarify the population size and condition of this rare ungulate species. The expeditions took place in October in the Tyva and Altai Republics, in the border zone with Mongolia where the Altai argali live. Scientists identify four transboundary population groups: on the Tsagaan-Shibetu, Mongun-Taiga, Chikhacheva, and Sailugem ridges. The total number of argali in the transboundary zone of the two countries was 7,133 individuals, of which 3,630 were on the Russian side: 3,399 on the Sailugem Ridge, 86 on the Chikhacheva Ridge, and 145 in Tyva on Mongun-Taiga and the Tsagaan-Shibetu Ridge.

For comparison, in 2024 the total transboundary argali population was 7,483, of which 4,074 were in Russia, marking the highest recorded population since regular monitoring began in 2014. The work was supported by Sberbank.

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Counting the argali population is an international task for Russia and Mongolia, part of the strategy for conserving this rare ungulate species. The ‘Irbis' Association, with the support of Sberbank, has traditionally provided assistance to monitoring efforts, as the Altai argali is a critically important prey species for the snow leopard in this part of its range. The census results once again confirm that the largest number of Altai argali in Russia inhabit the Sailugem Ridge, where two of the three clusters of the Sailugemsky National Park are located, and which we support regularly and consistently,

Ali Uzdenov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Interregional Association "Irbis."

Expedition participants surveyed the terrain, moving in off-road vehicles and snowmobiles, visually observing herds of ungulates using 8−10x binoculars, spotting scopes, and cameras with telephoto lenses. Coordinates of encountered signs of activity, potential predator hunting sites, argali remains, locations of potential environmental violations such as poaching, and other data were recorded using GPS or smartphones, and entered into a specialised Russian field data collection programme.

During the expeditions, participants eliminated duplicate counts of the same animal groups and noted grazing sites and livestock numbers. Denis Malikov, Director of the Sailugemsky National Park, the organiser of the census:

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The argali habitats in Russia are concentrated in the remote mountainous areas of Altai and Tyva. Specialists always work in challenging climatic and landscape conditions, and the expedition timeline is limited to the argali rutting season, which coincides with the onset of freezing and snowy weather in the mountains. This autumn, the work was once again complicated by weather—snow drifts and deposits, and the inability to reach certain points, affected the results. In our view, we are seeing not a decline in argali numbers but a lack of complete data due to the difficult weather conditions. Overall, the argali population is stable. Over the years of research, we have observed an almost tenfold increase in argali numbers in the Russian part of the range, which is certainly encouraging.

Participants in the census included: in the Altai Republic—staff of the Sailugemsky National Park, the Altai Nature Reserve, the Department for Protection, Use and Reproduction of Wildlife and Aquatic Biological Resources, and the Directorate of Specially Protected Natural Areas; in the Tyva Republic—specialists from the Ubsunur Hollow Nature Reserve; in Mongolia—a team from the protected areas of the Mongolian Altai in Bayan-Ölgii Province.

In 2018, the Joint Russian-Mongolian Commission on Environmental Protection approved a programme for monitoring the Altai argali in the transboundary zone of Russia and Mongolia, marking a key step in the conservation of the species in border areas.