Remembering Dagina: Celebrating the Life of an Extraordinary Snow Leopard

We named the little cub Dagina. Over the years, we watched Dagina grow up on our research cameras. As she became an adult, we were able to track her even more closely through GPS-collars. Thanks to camera trap and GPS-collar data from Dagina and other female snow leopards in our study, we have been able to get a peek into the secret lives of snow leopard moms and cubs. We’ve gained insight into snow leopard litter sizes, breeding interval, cub survival rates and the age at which they disperse from their mothers, all of which are critical to our work to protect this endangered species. 

How did we learn so much from Dagina specifically? One of the keys was being able to study her mother, Agnes (top photo). The first generation is important as it provides background data that ’sets the scene’ for the next generation. By collaring both Agnes and Dagina in the spring of 2012, we were able to map Dagina’s early home range and family dynamics. When Dagina had her first litter, we observed her and Agnes occasionally sharing kills and tracked how she ultimately inherited her mother’s territory. Such multigenerational understanding can only be gained from long-term studies like our work in the Tost Mountains.

From a scientific standpoint, Dagina was a rare research opportunity. Her well-documented life allowed our team to trace her reproductive milestones precisely, including her first cub at age three through to her final litter at thirteen—both critical data points for understanding snow leopard reproduction.

In October 2022, we collared one of Dagina’s daughters, Presnel, who has also contributed greatly to our growing wealth of knowledge. She was the missing link in that family for our collaring study, allowing us to gather valuable data from an unprecedented four generations of wild female snow leopards (which includes Dagina, her mother, daughter and granddaughter).

Every year, we eagerly examined camera trap images to see if Dagina still roamed the mountains of Tost. And every year, together with her many fans around the world, we were elated to see this remarkable snow leopard make another appearance, often with cubs by her side. Her continued survival was a testament to her fierce adaptability and the conservation efforts of our partner indigenous communities and Mongolia team members.

But the life of a wild snow leopard is not an easy one. In addition to the dangers of hunting large prey in difficult terrain, they face many other threats, including climate change, habitat loss, retaliatory killings for livestock depredation, loss of prey species and the illegal wildlife trade. When a known snow leopard doesn’t show up on any of our camera traps for an entire year, we hold our breath—knowing what it could mean. However, we don’t jump to conclusions because it’s possible the cat was displaced and moved on to a different territory. But when a familiar face—especially that of an aging snow leopard—fails to appear on cameras for two consecutive years, it suggests that this remarkable life has reached its natural conclusion. We are grateful to have witnessed Dagina’s extraordinary journey for as long as we did.

Though we didn’t know it at the time, the final documented sighting of Dagina was in 2022, when she and her two cubs were immortalized on film by the Planet Earth 3 film crew (above). At 13 years of age, she was then the oldest known snow leopard to give birth, a mother and grandmother many times over. Her daughter, Presnel and Dagina’s three grandcubs were also featured in the PE3 Extremes episode. (below)

To all who knew her, Dagina was more than a snow leopard–she was a living testament to the power of resilience. She touched countless lives during her 13 years in the wild. With her five litters and pioneering contributions to our research, she expanded our understanding of her elusive species like never before. Her legacy will live on through our continued conservation efforts and the generations of cubs and grandcubs who carry her wild spirit. 

To all the researchers, local communities and supporters who were privileged to know her, please join us in celebrating Dagina’s remarkable life. We hope she inspired you as much as she inspired us.

Photos: SLCF-Mongolia, BBC Studios

Acknowledgments:

This long-term ecological study is in collaboration with Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia and Snow Leopard Trust, with special thanks to the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, the Government of Mongolia, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for their support. 

We would also like to acknowledge:

National Geographic Society, Acton Family Giving, Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park, John Ball Zoo, Kolmårdens Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, Nordens Ark, Parco Zoo Punta Verde, Play for Nature, Tierpark Berlin, The Big Cat Sanctuary/Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Tulsa Zoo, Whitley Fund for Nature, Zoo Basel, Zoo Dresden, Zoo New England and the many incredible partners who have supported programs like our Long-term Ecological Study and research in Mongolia since it began in 2008. We could not do this work without you. A special thank you to Kolmarden Zoo for naming Dagina.