NUR-SULTAN – A camera trap captured rare footage of snow leopard families walking through the protected area of the Altyn Emel National Park in the Almaty region on Sept. 27.
This is a video frame of a female snow leopard with her cubs, walking through the protected area of Altyn Emel National Park. Click to see the map in full size.
For the first time in the country’s history, a new sustainable habitat for snow leopards with an estimated population of 10 species has been recorded in the Altyn Emel National Park.
The new habitat is unique, because the mountain height in Altyn Emel is 1,000-1,200 metres, and previously, snow leopards were considered to live in mountains over 4,000-5,000 metres.
Snow Leopard Foundation Director Arman Kashkinbekov shared this footage on his Facebook account.
“Congratulations! The entire snow leopard family was captured during a scientific expedition on the most recent photos in Altyn Emel Park! I am happy that the Snow Leopard Foundation, Kazakh Renewable Energy Association and the Gentlemen Club installed the traps with their own hands only a month ago and have such photos right now. There is a picture of a female snow leopard with three cubs in the first shot,” he wrote.
The snow leopard, being a Kazakh national symbol, is one of the rarest animals in the country. It is included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and listed on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a threatened species.
