During the All-Russian Snow Leopard Count, which was supported by the Interregional Association "Irbis" and coordinated by the Sailugemsky National Park, unique footage of an irbis guarding a ibex it had caught was obtained.

The video documented the irbis’s successful defense of its prey, in this case, a mountain goat, which had been captured by the snow leopard named Mazhor from the Ubsunur Basin Reserve. This encounter attracted the attention of the feathered inhabitants of the Tyva Republic, prompting the irbis to engage in defensive maneuvers to protect its prey from potential threats. The irbis ultimately emerged victorious, having lured its prey into a state of slumber, which facilitated its capture.

This remarkable discovery was made possible by expeditions conducted in February and March 2024 in key irbis habitats, including the Republic of Altai, the Republic of Tyva, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Krasnoyarsk region. Scientists collected a substantial amount of data from camera traps that had been installed earlier with the support of the Interregional Association "Irbis".

This year the installation of camera traps in the Ubsunur Basin Reserve was complicated by difficult weather conditions and inaccessibility of irbis habitats. In this regard, some of the camera traps could not be found, and some were out of order. Nevertheless, the scientists coped with the task and found amazing footage of snow leopards.

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For me, as the founder of the Association, whose activities are aimed at preserving and growing the population of irbis in Russia, it is very important to see the fruits of our common work. This year during the All-Russian count of snow leopards 87 individuals were recorded. This shows that the protection of the territory, the fight against poaching, the work on the restoration of the snow leopard’s forage base is yielding results.

Ali Uzdenov, Chairman of the General Meeting of the Irbis Association, noted.