Category: Expedition Blogs

Update from our Tien Shan snow leopard expedition

“It’s a nice office you have here.” Barry’s words brought me right back to Earth as I sat sipping hot tea from my thermos. We are currently journeying back from servicing our final camera trap of the season, and I am jotting down notes while looking across the valley at giant glaciers that are normally hidden from view from our base camp. We are in raptures high up in the Jiluu-Suu (“hot water”) valley, taking it all in.

Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard 2026: Jiluu-Suu and goodbye”

Update from our snow leopard Kyrgyzstan expedition

We’ve hit the halfway mark for our final group of the season. Camp is quiet as all the team are out exploring the area. I find myself at camp in a period of quiet reflection.

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Update from our snow leopard volunteering expedition

When you read this group 3, which arrived and made their way to base safely, is through their training and into field research.

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Update from our snow leopard volunteer expedition

Group 2 has put in a big effort all round. The weather has settled, so we returned to Archali for further surveys. Emil and Kate took the pass on foot, overnighting at 3748 metres. The rest of us, five expeditioners in total, drove around into Archali to meet them.

We have now surveyed extensively in two of the three valleys with some new camera traps in place. Finishing the second snow leopard volunteer expedition week, we alternate big days with easier ones consisting of local interviews. These gather important local insights into raising livestock and the surrounding wildlife. Reports of face to face snow leopard encounters continue, but no hard proof yet.

Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard volunteer expedition 2026: Archali and more”

Update from our snow leopard conservation expedition

It’s Sunday, midway through group 2. As I write this on our rest day, some of the team are catching up on laundry, some are out with our camp manager in search of petroglyphs, and our scientist is in the zone collating the data we’ve gathered so far. We deserve the break, after some bad weather over the last week.

Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard conservation 2026: Good, bad, ugly weather”

Update from our snow leopard volunteering Kyrgyzstan

Our second group of team members has settled into base camp, marking the successful completion of our first full day in the high mountains of the Tien Shan. The morning began with an introductory lecture led by expedition scientist Emil, setting the stage for the conservation work ahead. Following the briefing, team members plunged straight into practical preparation, undergoing comprehensive equipment checks and mastering essential navigation skills required for traversing rugged terrain safely.

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Update from our snow leopard research in the Tien Shan mountains

Group 1 is done, with excellent results, thank you! We thought 2025 would be hard to beat, but we have made a good start thanks to the efforts of our first snow leopard research group.

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Update from our snow leopard project to the Tien Shan mountains

It’s been a whirlwind of activities over the last four days on our snow leopard project: Interviews with locals, an overnight survey in neighbouring Archali valley, as well as our usual cell surveys. And, yes, more snow leopard records.

Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard project 2026: Whirlwind”

Update from our snow leopard volunteering to the Tien Shan mountains

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.

Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard volunteering 2026: More success”