F4, the female snow leopard who joined our long-term study October 15, 2010 and who turned out to be Zaraa’s mom (!) now has an official new name, Tenger. Here is how Bayara, our Mongolia Country Director, describes the meaning of Tenger: ‘Tenger” means Sky, but still holds the meaning of spirit and power. Mongolians respect …
Category: Follow The Cats
The Incredible Tale of the Snow Leopard Named Supermom
The story of the snow leopard called Supermom is nothing short of spectacular (and how could it not be, with a name like that!). To appreciate the story, you first must remember that not long ago snow leopards were called “the ghost of the Himalayas” because so few people had seen them. With your help, …
Follow the Cats: Aztai Returns from the Dead
The past several weeks have had many of our scientists on their toes. Just a few weeks after Zara ventured into the “badlands,” it was Aztai’s turn. After taking off from his home range on what seemed like one of his usual forays, he spent two days around a hillock right in the middle of …
Follow the Cats Update: Zaraa Enters the Badlands
(Map Courtesy of SLT/Panthera) We are happy to announce that the collars worn by Aztai, Khavar and Zaraa continue to work fabulously, uploading up to 80% of the scheduled locations; those of Shonkhor, Tsagaan, Saikhan and Devekh seem to be under-performing. The good news is that Orjan will be returning to the field shortly (he …
Our Most Recently Collared Female Snow Leopard Has Been Photographed!
Zaraa, the most recent addition to our long term collaring study, has finally been photographed! Her name, meaning “hedgehog” in Mongolian, is perfect for this small and fluffy young snow leopard. She is the second female to be collared since the start of this program, but the first female slipped her collar within days, making it impossible …
GPS Study Update: Shonkor's Next Move, Aztai and Khavar's Overlapping Ranges
(Follow the Cats posts are usually accompanied by a satellite map, but Koustubh, our map-maker, is currently in the field collecting data.) The first two weeks of May, Shonkhor had all of us guessing about his next move. He had embarked on an incredible journey 60 km to the west of base camp, and we …
Follow the Cats Update: Shonkhor's Incredible Journey, Devekh's Collar Mystery
The most remarkable journey to date came from Shonkhor this fortnight! Shonkhor (red), collared in April last year, has taken an extensive expedition to the west, much further than where he wandered in previous weeks. Shonkhor’s last location was 60 km west of our base camp. We are curious to see if he continues to …
Newly Collared Snow Leopard Officially Named "Khavar"
In the evening of April 25th, we placed a GPS collar on a male snow leopard who has been officially named “Khavar.” Khavar means Spring or Renewal in Mongolian and refers to the important time of year for herders when grass starts coming up and lambs are born. The name was chosen by long-time Trust …
GPS Study: Aztai has guests in his home range
Aztai (green) continues to avidly patrol the core of his home range. In the last two weeks, we were able to fit Aztai with a new collar, and it appears that he made a kill on April 24th. With so many new male recruits hovering around his territory, he seems to be very busy marking …
New Snow Leopard Joins Long Term Study in Mongolia
In the evening of April 25th, PhD student and field researcher Orjan brought a new snow leopard into our long term collaring study. Called M8 for now, the male snow leopard weighs 34 kg and appears to be about two years old. Orjan thinks that M8 might be one of Supermom’s “cubs”, or perhaps previous …