On September 18, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in the Visitor Center of the National Park "Sailugemsky," the international expedition to study the snow leopard in the South Chuysky Ridge of the Altai Republic will commence. This expedition is supported by the Interregional Association "Irbis." In 2022, the presence of 13 individuals was confirmed in this area. The Ubsunur Basin Reserve (Republic of Tyva) has received a transfer of funds to establish a compensation herd to compensate for future attacks by the rare predator.

The expedition will involve scientists from Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, along with Russian experts specializing in the regions where the irbis species is present in Russia. Sailugemsky National Park, Sayano-Shushensky Reserve (Krasnoyarsk Krai), Altai Protected Areas Directorate (Altai Republic), regional public environmental organization "Asia-Irbis" (Irkutsk Oblast and Republic of Buryatia), and Ubsunur Basin Reserve (Republic of Tyva), will engage in a collaborative effort.

The objectives of this endeavor include the following: the exchange of experiences among participants, the survey of snow leopard habitats, the inspection of previously installed and the placement of new automatic cameras, and the collection of material for molecular genetic analysis.
The results of the expedition are scheduled to be announced in October, following the analysis of samples, traces, and camera trap footage. The international expedition is set to take place from September 19 to 27, 2023. Scientists will meet with local cattle breeders to underscore the importance of preserving irbis in Russia. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of irbis attacks on livestock in the Altai. In 2023, the Interregional Association "Irbis" compensated a herdsman in the Altai Republic for the loss of 27 rams. The Ubsunur Basin Reserve (Republic of Tyva) has received a transfer of funds to establish a compensation herd to compensate for future attacks by the rare predator.

Following the official commencement of the expedition, the Interregional Association "Irbis" will present the representatives of the reserves with camera traps and their accoutrements, including uniforms and equipment such as binoculars, radios, and tents, necessary for fieldwork. Additionally, Association representatives will share the experience of producing the documentary film "The Master of Altai Mountains," which chronicles three years of filming in the Russian wilderness.

The film features renowned Russian scientist and TV presenter N.N. Drozdov and theater and cinema actor K.Y. Khabensky providing voice-over narration. The Interregional Association "Irbis" was formally established in June 2021 with the primary objective of preserving two species of animals that are of particular importance to Russia: the snow leopard (Irbis) and the Altai mountain sheep (Argali). The Association’s Chairman of the General Meeting is Uzdenov Ali Mussaevich, a member of the Russian Geographical Society, Chairman of the Association "Wildlife of the Steppe," Chairman of the General Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the National Park "Sailugemsky," and founder and trustee of the Center for Maintenance of the Population of Rare Animal Species "Altai-Ecosphere."