Field researcher Örjan Johansson shares the story of “The Dude”, the biggest, heaviest snow leopard he’s come across in a decade of field studies.
Category: Follow The Cats
Dagina: Snow Leopard and Scientific Pioneer
She was first photographed by camera traps when she was still a cub, wore GPS tracking collars on two separate occasions and has successfully raised at least two litters of cubs: Dagina may be the world’s most comprehensibly studied wild snow leopard. At nine years old, she is still going strong, and contributing to cutting-edge science.
Tracking Predator and Prey
Snow Leopards, Ibexes and Goats to be tracked simultaneously with GPS Collars in Mongolia
Mates or Munchies – What Drives Big Cats’ Spatial Behavior?
Most big cats are territorial, with males commonly using larger home ranges than females. But what is driving the spatial behavior of these cats? A new study published in the journal Ecosphere compares spatial data from snow leopards and pumas to better understand what is governing their territorial behavior. Two factors stand out: abundance of prey and access to potential mates. However, the way they work together is not what researchers expected.
Dagina Is Back on the Air
Dagina, an eight-year old female snow leopard we’ve known since she was a tiny cub, becomes our latest cat to be tracked with a GPS collar in the world’s most comprehensive study of wild snow leopards.
Pioneering Research Leads to PhD
Örjan Johansson’s groundbreaking work on the snow leopard’s biology and behavior has led to novel insights into the spatial needs, predation patterns, and reproduction cycle of this elusive cat. Now, after 8 years of field work, collaring 23 individual snow leopards and spending more than 1,000 nights in the Gobi Desert, this pioneering scientist has received his PhD from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Scientists Collar Three More Wild Snow Leopards in Mongolia
GPS collars will allow Snow Leopard Trust researchers to better understand the elusive species.
Back in the (Motorbike) Saddle
Field scientist Örjan Johansson is back in the South Gobi, the site of our long-term snow leopard study. Together with his colleague Gustaf Samelius, he’s attempting to collar snow leopards and ibex this spring to allow us to track their movements. This is his field diary.
Back in the Shadows: Collared Snow Leopard Tsetsen Goes Offline
Tsetsen, a male snow leopard wearing a GSP collar in Mongolia’s Tost Mountains as part of the Snow Leopard Trust’s long-term study of these cats, has gone offline as scheduled. The batteries on Tsetsen’s collar appear to have run out. The collar itself will drop off the cat in the next weeks.
The Circle of Life: News from Anu
The saga of Anu continues. This snow leopard mother living in Mongolia’s Tost mountains not only keeps surprising us – she also provides a powerful example of nature’s perseverance!