As part of the All-Russian Accounting of the snow leopard, held with the support of the Interregional Association "Irbis" and the coordination of the Sailyugemsky National Park, Daria the snow leopard was recorded in the Ubsunurskaya Hollow Nature Reserve. According to data from camera traps, experts determined that she became a pair of Saiyan, a young male snow leopard born from a female brought to the Sayano—Shushensky Nature Reserve from Tajikistan in 2019 during the implementation of The federal program "The Snow Leopard is a living symbol of the Western Sayan" and the world’s first unique experiment on the translocation of snow leopards.

Let us remind you that in 2018−2019, two snow leopards, a male and a female, were brought to the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve in order to restore the snow leopard on the northern periphery of the species. Since that time, the translocated female has already produced offspring twice — in 2020, two kittens and in 2022, three kittens. A male Saiyan and a female Klepa appeared in the offspring of 2020. As they matured, the young individuals moved away from their mother. Klepa chose an individual plot on the territory of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve and in 2023 brought her first offspring— two kittens.

Sayan began to be observed more often on camera traps near the southern border of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve, and then on the territory of the Khan Dare cluster area of the Ubsunur Basin Nature Reserve. This year, on camera traps in the Ubsunur Basin Nature Reserve, it was recorded that Sayan and Daria formed a couple during the rutting season.

It should be noted that the female Daria was previously registered in the Sayano-Shushenskoye Nature Reserve. In 2021, she came from adjacent territories and stayed for a short time in the Bolshye Ury River area. Then she moved south and identified an individual site for herself in the Ubsunur Basin Nature Reserve.

In 2022, Daria got 2 kittens. This year, the kittens moved away from their mother and began to lead an independent life. Thanks to the 30 camera traps installed in the Ubsunur Basin Nature Reserve with the support of the Interregional Association "Irbis", Daria and Sayan were able to capture them moving together during the rutting season. Thus, with a favorable development of events, the couple may have offspring this year.

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Daria’s passport will be issued soon, as enough data has already been collected. We hope that Daria has trained the two kittens well in hunting and survival skills in difficult natural conditions. Daria also successfully passed the GON this year, so we are expecting photos and videos of the new kittens this fall. In addition, there is a positive trend in the number of snow leopards, which is a good sign for the entire ecosystem of the region.

Balban-ool Diinmey Kaadyr-oolovich, Director of the Ubsunur Basin Nature Reserve.

At the end of March this year, a working meeting was held between employees of the Sayano-Shushensky and Ubsunurskaya Basins reserves, during which not only the database was exchanged for snow leopards registering in the reserves, but alsoand an agreement has been reached that further accounting of the number of snow leopards will be carried out jointly and as for a single Western Sayan group. Currently, the number of the group is estimated at 14 individuals, including 3 breeding females, 4 males and 7 kittens.

Let’s add that in April, as part of the continuation of the All-Russian accounting of snow leopards, specialists will examine the Kuraisky Ridge in the Altai Republic and complete a series of expeditions to clarify the number of snow leopards, and the results of the All-Russian accounting of snow leopards will be summarized by the end months.