News & Stories

First Snow Leopard Lithotripsy Performed at Big Cat Rescue

Cloe, a female snow leopard living at Big Cat Rescue, recently became the first snow leopard to undergo lithotripsy. Lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses ultrasonic waves to shatter stones in the kidney or upper urinary tract. Thanks to the procedure, her health and well-being have been restored. Big Cat Rescue has posted an …

The Nickname Sticks: "Khashaa" Becomes Khashaa

The newly collared female snow leopard in our study was tentatively nicknamed “Khashaa.” She got this nickname from Ganaa, a base camp neighbor who witnessed the cat being fitted with a collar. Once she became an official member of our study, she needed an official name, and Khashaa it officially is. We look forward to …

New Collaring System More Efficient, And Even Better for Snow Leopards

Orjan is a Swedish PhD student who works at the base camp of our long-term research project in Mongolia. These are his adventures… When we want to collar a snow leopard, we first have to restrain them using safe, non-harmful snares. All our snares are equipped with a small transmitter that sends out a VHF …

A Herd of Cameras, and A Week-Long Training

Summer research efforts are still going strong. The team is busy collecting camera traps and will soon begin analyzing the data. While these cameras provide us with incredibly reliable information on population status and changes, they also help understand other demographic and behavioral traits of the snow leopards. We are also hoping to use the …