Why zoologists spend days guarding snow leopard
Specialists from the Kazakh Institute of Zoology and Ile-Alatau National Park spent three days and nights guarding a rare snow leopard in the Big Almaty Gorge, after the animal descended to lower elevations, Qazinform News Agency reports.
After videos of the snow leopard began circulating on social media, tourists, bloggers and wildlife photographers flocked to the mountains. People attempted to approach the animal, launched drones, made noise and violated rules of conduct in the specially protected natural area. According to zoologists, such behavior posed a threat both to the predator and to people’s own safety.
As a result, specialists maintained a round-the-clock presence near the animal to prevent stress and other potential consequences.
To monitor the snow leopard and assess its health, scientists fitted the animal with a satellite tracking collar and collected the necessary samples. The snow leopard later left the area safely and moved to a more secure zone.
The Kazakh Institute of Zoology noted that the snow leopard is a rare species listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book and warned that encounters with wild predators can have tragic consequences.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Almaty Zoo has announced the arrival of the two rare Southern Tamandua Anteaters.
