Tien Shan: Group 1 summary

Update from our snow leopard volunteer project to the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan

Group 1 started two weeks ago with a weather forecast of inescapable perma-drizzle, but the reality has been much kinder. There were of course the occasional rain/snow/hail showers, but the conditions have been favourable for the most part.

A main task for this group has been to collect camera traps left by the 2023 expedition on remote ridges and other far-flung places. To get to them, we have been traversing mountainsides and ridges where few have ever set foot – with the exception of previous expeditioners, adventurous local herders and Soviet cartographers perhaps.

The results have been mixed, with one camera trap having 6000 images of nothing but snow. However, others have been much more fruitful. We have captured snow leopard on two traps and a solitary wolf. We also have pictures of ibex, badger, fox, weasel, rabbit, mouse and snowcock. The search for argali continues. The team have also been busy collecting data and surveying cells throughout the Burkhan and surrounding valleys with 40 cells already surveyed.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday the group split into two halves for an overnight mini-expedition away from base camp with one half driving into the valley to the north to gather information from the local herders and survey cells and the other half venturing to a remote pass to spend the night and survey cells in the vicinity. Both groups survived the experience and were rewarded with a clear night sky full of stars with the Milky Way clearly visible. The car group was forced by strong winds to retreat to the car for a “cosy” night’s sleep. The group that slept at the mountain pass were able to find good evidence of key snow leopard prey despite the extensive presence of livestock in the area (and some rather intimidating yaks). Large groups of ibex were spotted and there were reports of a live wolf sighting although there are reservations around this due to the consumption of Kumis (fermented and alcoholic mare’s milk) on previous days.

I hope that group 2 are now prepared for the rugged Kyrgyz landscapes and excited to get started. We have found hiking poles to be invaluable as well as having the Kyrgyz dictionary downloaded for offline use on Google Translate for communication with locals.

Safe travels and see you soon.

Emil’s drone pictures:

Update from our Kyrgyzstan expedition to the Tien Shan mountains, volunteering in snow leopard conservation.