Snow Leopard International Day. The main outcome for Russia — more than 94 individuals

The most important result of 2026 was the record number of snow leopards in Russia — at least 94 individuals. For comparison, in 2024, 87 irbises were recorded in the country. A separate success was achieved in the SayanoShushensky Nature Reserve, where the population reached a record 19 individuals — the highest number in the entire history of observations.

By the time the survey work was completed, the Association, together with Sberbank PJSC, launched a unified online database of all snow leopard individuals in the country. The "Snow Leopard" platform provides access to animal profiles — from physical characteristics and pedigree to all observations — with convenient search by region, sex, activity status, individual, or camera. It brings together the efforts of SPNA staff, making data management simple, clear, and collaborative.
With the support of the Presidential Nature Fund, in partnership with the Saylyugemsky National Park, the Association implemented the project "In Search of the Mountain Ghost". In the South Chuya Range in the Republic of Altai, at least 11 individuals were confirmed; the population density amounted to 0.39 individuals per 100 km².
The Association supports antipoaching efforts and scientific research on this elusive predator, as well as the conservation of its prey base — the Siberian mountain goat and the Altai mountain sheep. In November, the annual monitoring of argali will start in Siberia, and in 2025, the transboundary argali survey in partnership with Mongolia confirmed a record number for the transboundary group — 7,133 individuals. The number of saker falcons released into the wild as part of the reintroduction programme reached 74 individuals; the results were presented in summer at the EEF2026.
At the initiative of the Irbis Association, the catalogue "Snow Leopards in Russia" was published — a true "passport office" for all irbises in the country recorded by automatic cameras in Tuva, Altai, Buryatia, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It contains the names, stories, and personalities of the known leopards; a separate chapter is dedicated to animals from Russian zoos.
Promotion of the species is supported by the annual festival "Land of the Snow Leopard" in the capital of the Republic of Altai: it introduces residents and guests of the regions where the irbis lives to the nature and culture of Altai and Sayan and brings together volunteers, experts, and snow leopard enthusiasts.
The Irbis Association unites nature conservation organisations, volunteers, businesses, and individuals for the common goal of preserving rare species in Altai and Sayan. This year, the organisation supported an international meeting of experts from Russia and India, participated in international events, and helped conduct environmental awareness campaigns, festivals, and ecolessons. The screening of Russia’s first feature film about the irbis, "Master of the Altai Mountains", continues, and thanks to the partnership with the MAER media holding, social advertising about snow leopard conservation is available to millions of people in Russia.
Today, the organisation is a member of the most important association representing all 12 countries within the snow leopard’s range — the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) — and is part of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).