It’s hard to believe how quickly an expedition week can pass.
During our final two survey days on Thursday and Friday, we documented and collected 20+ wolf scat samples. This is what survey walks are all about: Walking and observing, noticing small things you would pass by otherwise and taking the time to investigate and identify the unknown. But most of all: Sharing your experience, encounters and pictures in the evening with your fellow expeditioners.
It’s early. Not sunrise-in-a-beautiful-way early. Just early.
It’s dark. You’re tired, slightly uncomfortable and quietly questioning your decision-making skills. The alarm went off before your body was ready. The air is colder (or hotter) than expected. There’s a long day ahead.
This isn’t the version of travel we’re usually sold. There are no loungers, no slow breakfasts, no sense of ease. Instead, there’s a bit of effort. Logistics. And, somewhere in the back of your mind, a small question:
We are half-way through group 1 and have more successes to report. One of the camera traps yielded more snow leopard photos (see sample above). From other camera traps, SD cards were removed, presumably by poachers who do not exactly want to be found out.
This season’s first snow leopard caught on camera trap
The ghost of the mountain has been kind to us. 2025 was a great season and this 2026 snow leopard project has just got off to a flying start. Two of the first four high altitude camera traps we checked yesterday have revealed snow leopards!
Fully trained and equipped, our wolf volunteer teams started their field surveys on Monday. On the hunt for wolf signs, by and large (preferably fresh) wolf scat, six teams head out each morning in various directions. We have found some scat so far and had some close encounters with wolf prey animal: red deer, roe deer, wild boar and hare.
We have arrived and spent the last two days training our snow leopard volunteers from six countries. Training involves everything from safety in the mountains, looking after the expedition 4x4s and how to drive them off road, camp tasks and etiquette, and of course all the science: What to look out for, how to collect data, how to set camera traps. And the equipment: Compass, map, GPS, radio, camera traps etc. etc.
This is a quick update from the field to let you know that the staff team has officially arrived in the Tien Shan mountains. We have spent the last few days working hard to establish our base camp, navigating some pretty foul weather in the process. With heavy skies, wind and rain testing our gear, the camp is now almost fully functional and ready for the weeks ahead.
Given the current conditions, please make sure you come prepared for true mountain weather. High-altitude environments can be highly unpredictable, so ensuring your layers, waterproofs and sturdy boots are packed and easily accessible is essential.
This is a last-minute update from our expedition base at the Naturcampus. I arrived a couple of days ago, and the team has been working flat out to get everything aligned. From sorting out field gear and finalising topographic maps to calibrating survey equipment and setting up our base camp infrastructure, we are officially ready for action.
Remarkable camera trap photo taken the Biosphere Expeditions snow leopard research project
An international team of citizen scientists and professional researchers has successfully completed a landmark snow leopard research and biodiversity survey in the Teskey Ala-Too range of the Tien Shan mountains, Kyrgyzstan.
Organised by the award-winning non-profit organisation Biosphere Expeditions, the two-month expedition in July/August 2025 delivered a vital baseline report for snow leopard Panthera uncia density, habitat connectivity and spatial distribution in the region.
Working at elevations ranging from 2,797 to 4,419 meters, a team of 36 citizen scientists investigated a 392-square-kilometer study area. It confirmed the year-round residency of at least five distinct snow leopard individuals across the survey grid. This major breakthrough was achieved through a combination of camera trapping and DNA analysis of collected scats
