Orjan is a Swedish PhD student who bought a one-way ticket to Mongolia to work at the base camp of our long-term research project. These are his adventures…
Note: our team is trying to fit snow leopards with radio collars. Instead of a new snow leopard, they caught Aztai (who was collared in August 2008). This article refers to “traps.” For more information about the traps, please click here.
I take it all back.
I admit it, I was wrong – Mongolian winters are cold.
Yesterday a storm blew up and before we went to bed we tied our ger down with some extra weights. Still the wind managed to blow the cold straight into the ger and four times the last night we had to go up to put in more coal and wood into the stove. This morning, one of our traps were on fast pulse [alert] and Guy volunteered to check it out. We all thought that something had blown into the trap and that it would be a false alarm but Guy soon came back saying that it was a snow leopard !
After dressing up like proper polar researchers we hiked to the snow leopard.
History repeats itself. It was Aztai [collared in August 2008]. He seemed to be in good condition, lying snuggled up against a sunny cliff. The cold made our hands seize after one or two minutes outside of the gauntlets so we decided to just let him go [as versus taking more time to collect data]. 
While we waited for Aztai to wake up [Aztai was given a small sleeping aid so the team could safely get him out of the trap], we put him in a sleeping bag with a warm water bottle to keep him warm. Guy used the warm water bottle to thaw out his feet in his sleeping bag when we came back to camp and he says that it works very well. So well that he refuses to give it back now…
To be honest, Aztai probably had a much better time than we did, embedded in the sleeping bag with a warm water bottle while we were freezing in the wind. He stayed in the sleeping bag for a while after he woke up, seemingly reluctant to leave it but when he left, he seemed to be in good shape. We have some great pictures of him in the sleeping bag.
We have photographed Aztai five times since November compared to 18 times for Bummer and three for Superman.
I think that the temperature this morning, after being corrected for the wind-chill, must have been around 30 to 40 below zero. We were all pretty cold when we came back to camp but Guy had a smile on his face the whole time…
I have several cats of my own, and that’s the exact same smug expression I see on cold days when they’ve found a warm spot. Aztai obviously knows how to make the humans do all the work!
He looks so darn cosy in that and cute! You guys/gals are doing wonderful work, have you thought about a Twitter page? I’m just posting a link about your great work! Here’s to the Snow Leopards! xxx
Thanks for the comment. It just so happens we are on twitter and our profile name is Snowleopards. I haven’t figured out what kind of tweets are the best. I do a regular Monday trivia question and post big news like our 4th cat notice. If you can think of other things, let me know.
That’s adorable! Thanks, you guys, for being out there in the cold and doing the work you do to save this noble and wonderful species! People like you make this world worth living in.
I agree! Great work you’re doing for the preservation of this Gorgeous species of feline! In my opinion one of the most mysterious and the most beautiful.
Will you be throwing out the traps and using sleeping bags instead?!
Thank you! I appreciate everything you do. These cats and all other threatened or endangered cats around the world deserve all the help we can give them. They are soooo cute and beautiful! I wanna squish their little cheekies and smooch them but I’d also like to keep my hands and head. Keep up the good work!
i appericiate your work at aztai . im also interested in leopards and wish to work for leopard conservation
Unbelievalbe !!! Did he come back for more ?
So adorable – thank you!
I just want to thank you for your dedication to saving the snow leopards through tracking and observation. Also, your true love of animals shines through with your gesture of giving the sleeping Aztai your sleeping bag and warm water bottle and freezing yourselves. What a beautiful creature he is and what a spirit he exudes. Always know your work is appreciated by me and all animal lovers throughout the world!
Fantastic shot. At Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Smarden Kent we always look forward to receiving info on how your all doing. I run the photo days at WHF and this is a picture anyone would be proud of. Let me know if I can out a link on to my own website and if you have a logo I can use I’ll Put it on my New Charity Logo Page. Keep up the great work and might be in touch for a photo tour might bring in good money for you. E-mail direct if interested.
Kind regards Andy
Such majestic animals and such wonderful action by your group to maintain these animals.
I think your organisation is really to be admired and respected for the outstanding lengths you go to to help these magnificent cats.
They are such wonderful cats along with Tigers, I believe them to be the very best among the Big Cat Family.
Thank you for everything you do! I would like to have a lot of money to donate to you and to other organizations like Africat and so on…God bles you!
I watch snow leopard and can be impressed.
I think that it is a human important duty to protect such a beautiful creature.
Hej Örjan! Vilket underbart äventyr du har förmånen att få vara med om! Jag är ganska avundsjuk måste jag erkänna. Snöleoparder är de vackraste kattdjuren i världen och bara att få vara nära dem måste bara vara så underbart! Tack för att du är en god representant för ditt land men framför allt annat en djurens ambassadör. Jag önskar dig all lycka i ditt pågående projekt och unnar dig verkligen din sällsamma upplevelse. Fortsätt väldigt gärna att dela med dig av dina erfarenheter, både i blogg- och fotoform. Jag följer dig med spänning!!
Varma kramar från Carina i Sverige
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