Welcome to the Snow Leopard Guardian Alliance

 Big Cat Rescue sponsors a GPS tracking collar on a Snow Leopard that is being tracked by the Snow Leopard Trust Research Team.  For 30 years the Snow Leopard Trust has been the world's leading authority on the study and protection of the endangered snow leopard. Exclusive updates from the field are only visible to paid members of Big Cat Rescue's Snow Leopard Guardian Alliance. 

2013 July Update

 Snow Leopard Trust Researchers Encounter Wild Snow Leopard CubAn international research team including members of the Snow Leopard Trust encounters a 2-week-old wild snow leopard cub in its den; a rare glimpse of the first days in the life of these endangered, elusive cats.Seattle, WA / Gurvantes, MongoliaFinding a wild snow leopard cub in its den is rare and exciting in its own right – the first ever such encounter took place only last year. This most recent discovery could be particularly significant though, as the international team of scientists that found this little cub believes they know not only its mother, a cat called Agnes, but possibly its father as well, a male named Ariun. Before locating the den site, the team had been tracking the cub’s mother – and its likely father – with GPS collars for several months as part of the Snow Leopard Trust’s pioneer long-term snow leopard study in Mongolia’s South Gobi desert.“Beyond conception, very little is known about the role of snow leopard fathers in the wild,” says Gustaf Samelius, a member of the team that encountered the cub. “Being able to monitor both parents of a newborn cub as it grows could yield exciting new insights, says Samelius, who is the Snow Leopard Trust’s Assistant Director of Science and a researcher with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), “So we’re eagerly awaiting the results of genetic analysis to see if Ariun is indeed the cub’s father.”Analyzing their GPS locations, Örjan Johansson, a PhD student with the Snow Leopard Trust and SLU, had observed the two cats, Agnes and Ariun, spending several days in very close proximity earlier this spring. Snow leopards are usually solitary cats, so this type of behavior often indicates that two cats are mating. Several weeks later – as if on schedule – Agnes started to restrict her movements in a way that suggested she was preparing to give birth. “When we were fairly certain that she had given birth, we followed the VHF signals transmitted by her collar in order to find her den,” says Gustaf Samelius.On June 21, Gustaf Samelius and his colleagues -Sumbe Tomorsukh of Mongolia and Australians Jeremy Krockenberger and Carol Esson - located the exact spot where Agnes had set up her den. Once they were certain she was a safe distance away, the scientists were able to briefly enter the den, examine, and photograph her 2 week-old cub. They took hair samples that will allow them to establish the cubs’ genetic identification and confirm sex. They also took weights and measurements, and implanted a tiny microchip - called a PIT tag - for identification, similar to those used by pet owners.”We still know very little about how snow leopards reproduce in the wild. It has taken years of sustained scientific effort for us to able to begin documenting birth rates, sex ratios, cub sizes, litter sizes or cub survival rates – all of which are critical to our work to save these endangered cats. Getting the rare opportunity to observe a cub in its den is huge for us,” says Charudutt Mishra, the Snow Leopard Trust’s Science and Conservation Director. “The team handled the cub with care and took their measurements as quickly as possible.”A Visit from Dad?Back in the study base camp, the team looked at GPS data from presumed father Ariun’s collar and compared it to the exact den location. “As we compared the data, we realized that Ariun had been within a few feet of the den a week after the cub’s birth, while Agnes, the cub’s mother, was almost a mile away,” Gustaf Samelius says. “We can’t tell if he was actually inside the den or what he did there, but it’s a fascinating behavior to observe – especially if Ariun really does turn out to be the father”.Snow Leopards – the Elusive Ghosts of the MountainThere are as few as 3,500-7,000 snow leopards left in the wild—and due to their elusive nature, encounters are so rare that the cats are often referred to as “ghosts of the mountain.” Accordingly, our understanding of the cats’ ecology and behavior remains limited. However, an international team of scientists has been conducting a pioneering long-term snow leopard study in Mongolia’s South Gobi desert since 2008, tracking the cats with GPS collars and research cameras and expanding our knowledge about this endangered species by leaps and bounds. 

2013 May Update

 Download the May Snow Leopard Tracking Report 

2012 December Update

Download the December Snow Leopard Tracking ReportDearest Friends and Colleagues,With the 2013 on the horizon, we wanted to take a look back and reflect on what an incredible year this has been for snow leopards. This update highlights a few of the major accomplishments that your support helped make possible this year, as well as a few big developments that you can look forward to in the New Year.With the year coming to a close, Orjan reflects on his feelings as he wraps up his data collection for his PhD study and packs up base camp for the winter. Joined by Gustaf Samelius, the Snow Leopard Trust’s new Assistant Science Director, Orjan narrates a rare encounter of how they saw Ariun on a kill site.“A couple of days ago, Gustaf and I sneaked in on Ariun, who had just hunted down a prey. We stayed about 600 meters away and observed him. Many carnivores rest a little ways away from their kills, but the snow leopards do not behave like this. Judging by GPS collar data, it is instead almost as if they sit on their prey. Perhaps, they have to stay so close to protect their prey from scavengers. In our case, Ariun had caught a feral horse in a big open valley, which didn’t seem like the kind of place a snow leopard would be very comfortable in. But still, he was resting just a few meters from the horse. As we observed him, there was almost constantly at least one raven or vulture flying above him.”Read more about what Orjan and the cats have been up to in the attached update.Thanks to your support, our field programs in the five most important snow leopard range countries, and our activities at the global level, are having a measurable benefit for snow leopards and their environment. Thank you again and we look forward to working with you in 2013 as we continue to build a brighter and healthier future for these amazing cats. On behalf of the Snow Leopard Trust, I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season! 

2012 November Update

 Download the November Snow Leopard Tracking Report  

2012 September - October Update

 Download the September-October Snow Leopard Tracking Report  

2012 August Update

 Download the August Snow Leopard Tracking Report Dearest Friends and Colleagues,This has been another busy month in the realm of snow leopard conservation.  Anu’s collar dropped off a month early bringing our total number of snow leopards wearing GPS collars down to eight.  Ariun, a male in our study, embarked on a west-bound expedition traveling more than 50km.  No cats in our study have ventured this far west since the late Shankhor, and Ariun has been using an area of more than 300 square km within 2-3 months of being collared.  More about the cats can be found on pages 1-2 of the attached update.From Mongolia, we have a great update on our team’s 2,500 km road trip where they visited nine out of the 27 communities where we are implementing community based conservation programs. The objective of this trip was to spend time with each community and understand their ecological, environmental, cultural, socio-economic, and political situation with regards to threats faced by snow leopards and the mitigation of these threats by us and other organizations.  More on this can be found on page 3.In Pakistan, we have included a short report on some changes and improvements that have been implemented to our Livestock Vaccination Program.  As part of this program, community livestock extension workers (CLEWs) play a key role in administering vaccines as well as collecting initial data from the communities during vaccination campaigns. The skill of the CLEWs, along with the community’s trust in them, is important for the success of the program. In 2003, when we first piloted the vaccination program in Pakistan, CLEWs were provided a training of three days from a local veterinary doctor. However, with community input, we have increased the trainings from 3 to 10 days. Our new CLEWs are performing better, however, a part of each community still has reservations.  Based on this feedback, we now plan to expand this even more and have CLEWs trainings provided by an established institution, which will further insure program sustainability.  More on this can be found on page 4.Kindest Regards,Marissa B. NiranjanZoo Programs ManagerSnow Leopard Trust4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. #325Seattle, WA 98103www.snowleopard.org

2012 June Update

 Download the June Snow Leopard Tracking Report Dear Friends and Colleagues, How are you?  I hope that you are having a great week so far! What an exciting month it as been!  We are thrilled to announce that two females in our study, Lasya and Anu, have been spotted with cubs!!!  It seems that Lasya is the proud mamma of two cubs and Anu has given birth to one cub.  We don’t know much more at this point, but will certainly keep you posted as we follow these new families in the field.  We also have two new videos that were filmed by a Bushnell video camera placed in the field by our research team in India’s upper Spiti Landscape. These cameras are designed to take 60 seconds of video whenever motion is detected, and we were lucky enough to see a snow leopard walking by.  What an honor it is to be able to witness a first hand glimpse into the every day life of a wild snow leopard. Please feel free to repost these videos on your own website as a way to show that you are participating snow leopard conservation initiatives.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlCNPs0fNmA This field update also includes an update on our community based conservation programs in Kyrgyzstan along with some interesting statistics about the rates of livestock lost to predation vs. disease within the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.  We are also excited to announce that we have launched a brand new website that includes a lot of useful and updated information about snow leopards and our conservation programs – including some great photos and videos!  Please feel free to share this website with your visitors and Zoo Staff!  We also have updated partnered pages which highlight all of our current Zoo Partners.  We will also be emailing and sending our 2012 Natural Partnership Program Packets next week, which will also include a lot of great information and stories, so please keep an eye out for that as well.  Thank you again for all of your support, and please let me know if you have any questions!Kindest Regards,Marissa B. NiranjanZoo Programs ManagerSnow Leopard Trust4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. #325Seattle, WA 98103www.snowleopard.org

2012 April Update

 Download the April Snow Leopard Tracking Report April has been an exciting month so far in the field! Örjan, our fearless PhD candidate from Sweden has returned to base camp and within 2 weeks of arriving managed to collar another male snow leopard! This update includes a riveting first person depiction of his encounter with this magnificent (and large) wild snow leopard. Below is a sneak preview:“The mood in camp instantly got better when the siren started and the LED under the “snare alarm" lit up early in the evening of April 18th. We rushed to the ATVs and got to the snare about 50 minutes after it had been triggered. I can't describe the relief when I looked over a hill and saw a snow leopard lying calmly on the other side. It was extremely windy and he had not heard us coming. The cat was leaning against the wall and was laying down looking at us. We went up to about ten meters from him and except for his eyes, he didn't move a whisker…..” Read the rest in the attached update.The update also includes the results of snow leopard status and distribution surveys conducted in the Alay region of Kyrgyzstan. Through extensive community interviews and data analysis, we found that the distributional range of all species (snow leopards, Marco Polo Sheep, brown bears) have declined in the Alay region over the last few decades. The only species in the study that seems to have remained steady is the Eurasian Lynx. Thanks to this study, for the first time we have been able to quantify the importance of variables such as slope, undulation, vegetation biomass and distance from settlements in determining the distribution of snow leopards and identifying the variables associated with distributional changes of species. The methods we have used for data collection and analysis will be of value in mapping historical distributions, threats and attitudinal surveys in other areas in Kyrgyzstan and throughout the snow leopard range. If you would like higher resolution versions of the maps included in this update, please let me know.In India, we are excited to share some preliminary results collected from the motion sensor research cameras that were installed across the Upper Spiti Landscape. As many as 27 out of the 30 camera locations recorded snow leopard images, and we look forward to an exciting season of data analysis. Some of these stunning images are included in this update for you to see!In Mongolia, we report on mapping projects that are currently taking place in over 25 communities to depict each community’s land use patterns and important wildlife and snow leopard areas. Once these maps are finalized, they will be used to help these communities to officially register as an organized Herder Organization, which will assist them in applying for an official Local Protected Area status. We are so excited to watch this process progress and will keep you updated as it unfolds.Thank you all so much for your continued support, and as always please let us know if you have any questions.Also, we know that cub season is upon us, so if you have snow leopard cubs born at your Zoo, please let us know, so we can mention it on our Facebook page, and also send you a welcome cub package.Kindest Regards,Marissa B. NiranjanZoo Programs ManagerSnow Leopard Trust4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. #325Seattle, WA 98103www.snowleopard.org

2012  March Update

Download the March Snow Leopard Tracking Report Dearest Friends and Colleagues,I hope that this email finds you well!Attached you will find a PDF of our March Update from the Field, which includes a lot of exciting information. We continue to follow the patterns of our collared cats, and have some interesting information to share about Khavar’s collar that Sumbee, our Camp Manager and Research Assistant, recently found in the field.In Mongolia, things are moving forward with the Locally Protected Area (LPA) and the final version is being prepared for submission to the Soum Central Governor.  You will also read about sea buckthorn and stinging nettles which may sound like a potion recipe straight out of Harry Potter, but indeed they are ingredients used in a natural dye training which took place recently in Mongolia.   We are also excited to share information with you about a reforestation pilot program taking place in Pakistan where 5,000 fast growing tree species were planted by community members in partnership with the local Chitral Forest Department.  In India, our partners at the Natural Conservation Foundation (NCF) have been working with close collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department to develop and implement a management plan for the Upper Spiti Landscape covering 3,000 square miles.  Several important projects will be jointly implemented in Spiti, including a radio telemetry study on snow leopards and the establishments of a Conservation Research Center in Kibber.We can’t thank you enough for all that you have done to support our conservation efforts, and please let me know if you have any questions at all!Kindest Regards,Marissa B. NiranjanZoo Programs ManagerSnow Leopard Trust4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. #325Seattle, WA 98103www.snowleopard.org

2012  February Update

Download the February Snow Leopard Tracking Report Dear Friends and Colleagues,I hope that you are having a great month so far!I know I have met many of you at various Zoo conferences, and you have also probably seen my name floating around on some recent emails, but I wanted to say hello and take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you whom I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting.   I sincerely look forward to collaborating further with each and every one of you, and can’t thank you enough for all that you have done to support our conservation efforts.Attached you will find a PDF of our February Update from the Field, which includes a lot of exciting information.  We continue to follow the patterns of our six collared cats, and thanks to Saint Valentine, February tends to be a month inspired by love so of course we had to include information on snow leopards’ breeding season!We are also very excited to share with you that Mongolia’s Tost Mountain community members’ request to protect their landscape has been approved.  This Locally Protected Area (LPA), is an effort being led by our Conservation Education Manager, Nadia Mijiddorj, and is being driven by the community members themselves.  The community has already drafted their own objectives for the best way to manage the Protected Area and will be discussing them at an upcoming meeting.   You will find a full write-up about the Protected Area, including the draft objectives, in this month’s update.  We look forward to sharing more results as these plans develop.Thank you again for all of your support, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all!Kindest Regards,Marissa NiranjanZoo Programs ManagerSnow Leopard Trust4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. #325Seattle, WA 98103www.snowleopard.org

2012  January Update

Download the January Snow Leopard Tracking Report Dear Friends and Colleagues,I hope you are doing well.  I am excited to send you the most recent Update from the Field.  January has been fast and full – not only in terms of all the activity from the cats in the South Gobi and their many movements, but also in terms of SLT as a whole.  This month we finalized 3 year plans for all 5 country programs as well as 2012 conservation and research plans.  In each country we have ambitious activities planned at local and national levels for snow leopard conservation including three new occupancy surveys using research cameras in India, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, the development of a Protected Area Management Plan in the South Gobi of Mongolia, and a human-wildlife conflict prevention education strategy that will augment our current conservation programs (to name a few).Reports from 2011 are completed and ready to be summarized into SLT’s 2011 Annual Report.  I look forward to sharing that with you next month when it is finalized.In the meantime, I would like to tell you about some changes in my position.  Thanks to your support, SLT has had an incredible year.  We have been able to expand our field programs at many levels and now have a need for greater capacity to manage those conservation activities.  Therefore, starting this month, I have the opportunity to shift my position so that 100% of my time will be supporting the field conservation programs and field offices.  This shift in my position has given Marissa Niranjan the opportunity to take over as Zoo Partnerships Manager for 2012.  You may have had the pleasure of working with Marissa as she has been our Conservation Commerce Manager working with gift shops to purchase and sell our conservation products at the zoo.  Perhaps you met her at AZA or AZAD!  She is fabulous and excited to work to make sure that your partnership with SLT is strong and that you feel connected to our work in the field.  And I will just have more stories to share!  From now on I will share the stories from field with Marissa and she will send these updates.  Together with our new roles we are looking forward to making our partnership with you even stronger in 2012.Thanks for all you amazing support.  Feel free to continue to contact me anytime!

Warm regards,

Jennifer Snell Rullman

Conservation Program Director

Snow Leopard Trust

2011 December Update

Download the December Snow Leopard Tracking Report  Dear Friends and Colleagues,Please enjoy the attached update from our country programs on our recent conservation activities. This update includes highlights from India,Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Long-term Ecological Study in Mongolia as well as the Snow Leopard Trust Mongolia Program’s exciting news that, with your help, our Snow Leopard Enterprise program won the BBC World Challenge. We are so honored and thrilled that this will allow us the opportunity to expand this successful program further in Kyrgyzstan.Here is a story of how this program has changed the life of Jirgau’s family, one of more than 400 SLE participants.Jirgau, a 34 year old woman lives in the remote province of Bayan-Ulgii with her husband and two children. She has been involved with SLE since 2003. From an initial income of $50 that she made by selling SLE products, she managed to increase it 8 times, to over $400 last year. This she could achieve through her hard work, experience, and the drum carder that she procured last year with a SLT micro-credit loan. She makes Kazak rugs and chair mats, and cheerfully tells us that with this additional income from SLE she is now able to send her two kids to a local pre-school and takes care of their books, stationery and clothes. Not just that, she saves a little money to spend on herself too! In Jirgau’s words, ‘thanks to SLE who gave me micro-loan to buy the drum carder, which helped me increase my productivity. I not only use it myself, but am also able to give it to other community members.” The planned flexibility of this successful loan program allows Jirgau and other participants to pay back the amount over three years through direct cash payment or in products.As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like more detailed information, support materials including a copy of the map or photos from this update or any clarification. I wish you a lovely holiday season from all of us at the Snow Leopard Trust and look forward to continuing to work with you in the New Year.Warmly,  Jennifer Snell Rullman 

2011 November Update

Download the November Snow Leopard Tracking Report Dear Friends and Colleagues,I hope you are doing well. I am excited to send you another update with some of the highlights from the field projects, including the announcement that we were able to place a collar on one of Khashaa’s cubs! He is already pretty big at one and a half years old. We find this so exciting because it will help us begin to answer some of the unanswered questions about snow leopards, including information about dispersal patterns. Take a look at the photos of this new young semi-adult male!In case haven’t already see the 10 minute video on Snow Leopard Enterprises that BBC World Challenge created, I have added the link below. It is a fun look at the SLE program and its impact. Feel free to use it for your own outreach goals:https://youtu.be/qWXwKSi_1PQI hope you like the addition of the multi-country updates. We will be adding updates from all five of the SLT country programs (China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Pakistan) as well as highlights from the Long-term Ecological Study (LTES) project. If you have any questions, feedback or things you would like to know more about next time, please let me know!Best to you and look forward to talking to you soon,Jennifer Snell RullmanConservation Program DirectorSnow Leopard Trust4649 Sunnyside Ave N., Suite 325Seattle, WA 98103www.snowleopard.orgThrough innovative programs, effective partnerships, and the latest science, the Snow Leopard Trust is saving the magnificent snow leopard and improving the lives of people who live in the snow leopard countries of Central Asia.