Two of five Snow Leopard Cubs recently photographer in Mongolia
SLCF-Mongolia/Snow Leopard Trust
A couple of researchers have visited two snow -leopard -s in Mongolia’s Tost mountains, where they studied and photographers five cubs, giving a rare opportunity to collect data on this endangered species.
Before this expedition, which took place in June and July, scientists had not been able to visit a snow leopard den Anywher in the World Sale 2019. ”Discovering a cave and cubs is fantastic; something that only a few people have ever experienced,” says Örjan Johanson at Snow Leopard Trust. “The closes are in narrow cracks or caves. We only get a chance. If the mother returned before we were able to locate the cave, we will give up the search. Going back twice would be intrusive.”
Johansson and Buren Nyam, a local Feltranger, established the approximate locations of its its way by tracking GPS collars, previously equipped for 20 adult female snow -loopards.
The denenes in which the kids were found were placed by tracking their mothers’ residence
SLCF-MONGOLIA_SNOW LEOPARD TRUST
“A female snow -loopard’s home in Mongolia’s Mountain South Gobi region is typically about 130 kilometers square -that’s about 2.5 times the size of Manhattan,” says Johansson. “Without GPS collars, we would never find their it.” But in the collar, areas as large as 60,000 square meters still had to be sought to find the exact rents.
Snow Leopards (Panthera Uncia) Is listed as vulnerable to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of endangered species with an estimated 3920 to 6390 back in nature. They live in the high mountain terrain in Central Asia over a range of 2 million square kilometers. They face threats such as loss of habitats, poaching and killing in retaliation to attack livestock.
“To be able to model and project the population of any kind that is liablly, we need to understand key factors such as birth rates, mortality and how many animals move in and out of an area,” says Johansson, who worked with the Snow Leopard Foundation on the project.
“That visit is crucial because they are the only way to read impact size sizes and Cub survival during the first to six months of life,” he says. “Before this age, kids remain hidden and do not travel with their mothers. By visiting its, scientists can collect this otherwise impossible to do. All this information improves our understanding of Snow Leopard Ecology and helps us to inform the preservation to secure their future.
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