Research work "in the footsteps of the snow leopard". Snow leopard tracks and sightings

The snow leopard (irbis; Latin names - Uncia uncia and Panthera uncia) is a mammal from the cat family that lives in the mountain ranges of Central Asia. Among the large cats, the irbis is the only permanent inhabitant of the highlands. The range of the snow leopard includes parts of the territories of 13 states: Afghanistan, Burma, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. area snow leopard in Russia is 2-3% of the modern world range. In Russia, the snow leopard is found in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in Khakassia, in Tyva and in the Altai Republic, in the mountains of the Eastern Sayan, in particular, on the Tunkinsky Goltsy and Munku-Sardyk ridges.

The main coat color is light gray, appearing white in contrast with black spots. This coloring perfectly masks the beast in its natural habitat - among dark rocks, stones, white snow and ice. The spots are in the form of rosettes, inside which there may be an even smaller spot. In this respect, the snow leopard is similar to the jaguar. In the area of ​​​​the head, neck and limbs, the rosettes turn into black strokes. The wool is very thick and long (up to 55 mm) and serves as protection from the cold in harsh climatic conditions. From head to tail, the snow leopard is 140 cm long, the tail itself is 90-100 cm long. If we compare the length of the tail and body, then of all the cats, the snow leopard has the longest tail, it is more than three quarters of the body length. The tail of the snow leopard serves as a balancer when jumping. The length of the jump during the hunt is up to 14-15 meters. The weight of an adult snow leopard can reach 100 kg.

Irbis is a predator living and hunting alone. Each snow leopard lives within the boundaries of a strictly defined individual territory. Hunts in most cases before sunset and in the morning at dawn. In the wild, snow leopards mainly feed on ungulates: blue sheep, Siberian mountain goats, markhor goats, argali, tars, takins, serows, gorals, roe deer, deer, musk deer, deer, wild boars. In addition, from time to time they also feed on small animals atypical for their diet, such as ground squirrels, pikas and birds (kekliks, snowcocks, pheasants). In Russia, the main food for the snow leopard is the mountain goat, in some places also deer, roe deer, argali, and reindeer. As a rule, the snow leopard quietly sneaks up to its prey and jumps at it with lightning speed. Often uses high stones for this, in order to unexpectedly throw the victim to the ground with a jump from above and kill. In late summer, autumn and early winter, snow leopards often hunt in families of 2-3 individuals, which are formed by a female with her cubs. The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass.

Life expectancy in captivity is usually around 21 years, but a female has been known to live to 28 years. Illegal but financially attractive hunting for snow leopard fur has significantly reduced its population. In the black markets of Asia, the skin of this beast can bring up to 60 thousand dollars. In all countries of its existence, the snow leopard is placed under state protection, but poaching still threatens it. Lately the number of snow leopards has increased slightly and is now between 3,500 and 7,500 individuals, after only a thousand in the 1960s. The largest snow leopard population is in China, where there are between 2,000 and 5,000 individuals. There are 150-200 snow leopards in Russia.

Approximately 2,000 individuals of snow leopards are kept in zoos around the world and successfully breed in captivity. The snow leopard has become a symbol of the city of Alma-Ata and is depicted on its coat of arms. A stylized winged snow leopard is depicted on the emblems of Khakassia and Tatarstan. Irbis can also be seen on the emblem of the city of Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. The coat of arms of Samarkand (Uzbekistan) depicts a white leopard.

In honor of the snow leopard, the hockey club "Ak Bars" (translated from the Tatar language - "white leopard") - an ice hockey team from the city of Kazan, as well as the hockey club "Barys" - an ice hockey team from the city of Astana ( Kazakhstan).

Snow leopard tracks and sightings

The footprint of the snow leopard (irbis) is typically feline - rounded without strokes from the claws (Fig. 1b). As a rule, they are not visible even on the front wall of the “glass” of the track in deep snow, which is often the case with lynxes. The differences between the prints of the front and back paws are the same as in other cats. The trace of the front paw is wider, as if slightly flattened.

In a specific case, on the roadbed, on top of which the night powder lay, the dimensions of a very clear print of the front paw were: width - 10.5, length - 8.5 cm; back, respectively, 10.2 and 10.5 cm. Of course, each individual print has its own characteristics, which depends primarily on the nature of the snow or soil, on how far apart the fingers of the very elastic paw of the beast are. But deviations of this kind still do not obscure the distinct differences in the configuration of the imprints of the fore and hind paws of the snow leopard.

It is clear that during accounting work, when the task of individual recognition of individuals arises, measurements are needed with an exact indication of which particular trace was measured. Comparison of the results is complicated by the fact that snow in snow leopard habitats usually does not retain clear imprints: it is predominantly either granular or dry and crumbling. In addition, the footprints themselves in the highlands are quickly "processed" by the sun and wind.

Snow leopard sightings

In the practice of counting the tracks of other large cats, such as the tiger, it is customary to focus on measuring the least variable element of the track - the imprint of the large plantar cushion or "heel". When taking into account the snow leopard, due to the above properties of snow in the highlands, the value of this indicator increases even more.

The size of the "heels" on the imprints of the front and hind paws of the snow leopard differ less than overall dimensions traces. For the track, taken as an example, the width of the "heel" of the front paw was 7.2, the back - 6.5 cm. But in most cases, one has to deal not with separate prints of the fore and hind paws, but with their imposition in one trace fossa.

Such combined prints are almost round (the length is usually only slightly greater than the width); their diameter along the edges of the pads, as a rule, is not more than 11 cm, occasionally in the largest specimens up to 11.5-12 cm. Most measurements fit into the interval of 9-10 cm, while the width of the "heel" is 6-7, rarely 8 cm. By the size of the track, as well as by other signs, it is rarely possible to reliably determine the sex of the animal.

Nevertheless, the dimensional differences in the traces of individuals of different sexes are undeniable, as evidenced by the meetings of females with cubs. The typical value of the track diameter for them corresponds to the lower limit of the indicated interval - 9, the width of the "heel" - 6-6.5 cm. the size of the female's footprint. In a specific case, the diameter of the imprint of such an animal that accompanied the mother was 8 cm with a “heel” width of 5.7 cm.

The differences between the results for the female and the calf were about 1 cm here (the entire impression), and even less in the width of the “heel”. The largest traces of solitary animals, close to the upper limit of the given range of values, can be considered without great risk as belonging to males. On loose snow the pit of the snow leopard's track is much larger than the impression measured along the edges of the pads. The imprint of the latter is, as it were, inscribed in an oval left on the snow by the lush pubescence of the paw. The width of this oval exceeds the track diameter by 1.5 times or even somewhat more (in the specific case, with a snow layer of 5 cm, the values ​​​​of 9 and 14.5 cm, respectively, were obtained).

The length of the oval of descent exceeds the length of the impression even more, but here the measurements are less indicative, since in the forward and backward directions the trace fossa without sharp boundaries merges with the veil and veil (Fig. 2a). The track of the snow leopard is clearly larger than that of the lynx: the overlap of extreme values ​​for individual measurements is small or absent.

So, if the diameter of the combined imprint of the snow leopard, as a rule, is not less than 8, and more often 9-10 cm, then in the lynx, with rare exceptions, it is no more than 8 cm. The differences in the width of the "heel" are even sharper: the snow leopard - 6 or more, the lynx - no more than 5.5 cm (in adult animals).

It was noted above that even in a yearling snow leopard, the width of the “heel” approaches 6 cm. The oval of descent is relatively smaller in the lynx, its diameter exceeds the diameter of the imprint of the pads by no more than 1.3-1.4 times. However, in nature, dimensional differences are not always clear enough; features in the configuration of callused pads or crumbs it is more expressive (Fig. 1 a, b). The track of a lynx compared to the track of an irbis is much more “long-toed” and “thin-toed”, and the plantar crumb is not so massive, it occupies a clearly smaller proportion of the entire paw print.

In contrast to the graceful, elongated prints of the lynx's toe pads, the snow leopard's are blunt, rounded. It is curious that in the Persian leopard (leopard), judging by observations in Armenia, with a larger total size of the footprint, the “heel” area is still relatively smaller, and the fingerprints are noticeably more elongated than in the snow leopard (Fig. 1c). It is useful to pay attention to this, since in the south of Tajikistan the ranges of these cats were in contact in the recent past. The outlines of the large plantar cushion in the snow leopard are more angular than in the lynx, with a more pronounced three-lobed structure - the emerging segmentation of the cushion at its posterior edge into three approximately equal parts, separated by narrow longitudinal depressions.

The latter is characteristic of all cats, but it is especially pronounced in the snow leopard: on clear prints of its paws, the prints of the grooves that cut the contour of the pillow are always clearly visible. In addition to the above features, when comparing the tracks of the snow leopard and the lynx, the latter clearly shows a relatively greater protrusion of the pad of the third (longest) toe.

This determines the characteristic asymmetry of the entire imprint of its paw, which is only barely visible in the snow leopard (Fig. 1, A, B). Differences in the structure of the pads of the fingers of the two species can be expressed quantitatively: if the ratio of the width to the length of the imprint of the third finger pad in the lynx is close to 0.55 (0.5-0.6), then in the snow leopard it is 0.7 (up to 0. 75).

snow leopard jumping

Snow leopard jumps down the slope in deep snow areas are usually 2-3 m long. At the same time, paw prints, if they are distinguishable, are grouped in closely spaced "fours". When chasing prey, jumps become larger, especially in the initial phase of the chase.

However, the ten-meter jumps often mentioned in the literature have never been seen. In a specific case, while hunting for a mountain goat, their length down the slope with a steepness of 25-30 ° was consistently: 3.25-6.60-3.82-3.24-2.80-1.64 m. The second jump in this series was the longest we have ever recorded. In the other two cases, the jumps of the maximum length in one hunt were the third in a row.

In general, jumps over 6 m were recorded three times, all of them were directed down the slope. If the snow leopard is lucky when hunting, he overtakes the prey in the first two or three tens of meters of the chase. At the place of a successful hunt, where there was a struggle, there are one or two areas with trampled snow and a small amount of blood, torn wool, broken and rumpled bushes.

All this usually happens near some shelters: rocky ledges and crevices, boulders, thickets of bushes. Having mastered the victim (most often it is a mountain goat), the snow leopard, as a rule, begins to eat it right at the place of the final fight. Large prey is not dragged or moved only a short distance down the slope.

The predator eats primarily meat on the thighs and in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades, and the skin is torn off as if with a stocking; does not gnaw large bones, leaves the limbs below the hock and carpal joints intact. Usually scavengers get the stomach with its contents, intestines. Covering prey by snow leopards, attempts to disguise it were not noted.

Beds of animals

Beds of animals can be found both in places with good overview, and in shelters among stone ruins, shrubbery, at the foot of rocky walls. For a long rest, mainly second-type beds are used. Beds on rocky ledges, on open ridges dominating the surrounding area, attract snow leopards primarily as a survey. This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that the routes of the animals do not bypass such points, regardless of whether the snow leopards lie down there or just stop to inspect the adjacent slopes. Traces of sitting animals were noted in such places.

The imprints of the snow leopard's feet are enclosed in a smooth semicircle left on the snow with a tucked tail. On the bed, the length of the spot thawed under the body of the animal is 65-72, the width is 40-45 cm. If the snow leopard changed its position, the dimensions of the bed can increase by 1.5-2 times (in a particular case, 85-125 cm). As an example of the snow leopard's shelter, we will give its description, made on January 24, 1988. on the right-bank slope of the river valley. Chon-Kyzyl-Su. Irbis, apparently a large male, settled down to rest on a narrow ledge of the slope at the lower edge of a large open stone placer. From here, a spruce forest stretched down the slope. The beast lay down in a small semi-grotto formed by stone slabs and a fragment of a fallen tree trunk sandwiched between them. Right in front of the bed stood a tall spruce about 40cm thick.

At the bottom of the recess there is a platform with a noticeable slope, covered with dry needles, spruce branches; there was no snow here. The niche went under the "roof" for half a meter, its height was 25-30cm. On the edge of the bed, where the animal touched the snow, its surface was densely iced over. The clear footprints of the front paws imprinted here were also iced over. Descending from this lair into the valley, the snow leopard walked for several hundred meters along a continuous spruce forest, passing through its rather dense curtains.

It was strange to see the footprint of a typical alpine animal in an environment, in fact, taiga. Meanwhile, animals visit the Tien Shan spruce belt quite often in winter. They periodically cross wide valleys, regardless of either large elevation differences or the boundaries of vertical landscape belts. However, the main routes of snow leopards still flow in the highlands. Ridges and spurs serve as guide lines for animals.

Even more than along mountain ridges, snow leopards love to walk along the foothills of rock masses. In this connection, the increase in the marking activity (frequency of scrapes) of animals on the way along linear landmarks is also indicative. Individuals have their favorite routes and repeat them regularly. At the same time, they can follow their former trace, if it is preserved on the snow. One day, a fresh snow leopard track led us to a scrape left by the same or another animal a few days earlier. But more often the animals do not strictly adhere to the former path, therefore, well-trodden paths near the snow leopard, in contrast to, for example, the tiger, are not formed. Animals that move in winter in pairs or in larger groups (usually broods) do not follow for a long time “trail in trail”.

Irbis diverge, moving in a parallel course, and when hunting, they undertake complex maneuvers, sometimes occupying vantage point away from partner. Cases have been repeatedly noted when a lynx passed along the trail of the snow leopard. The possibility of such an overlap of trace chains once again emphasizes the care with which the recognition of the tracks of these cats in areas where they live together should be taken into account.

When a climber conquered all five 7,000-meter mountains in the USSR, he was given the unofficial but flattering title of "Snow Leopard". And from the point of view of zoology, they were absolutely right: the snow leopard is a real climber. But unlike to the Caucasian leopard, or, scientifically, the Persian leopard , with which he is constantly confused, the snow leopard is not found in the Caucasus. The snow leopard is an Asian highlander: Altai, Pamir, Kashmir ...

NOT A BEAST, BUT A MYSTERY

The snow leopard is rare and mysterious. It is painted to match the color of gray rocks and white snows, so it successfully hides against their background. Found high in the mountains and exclusively in Asia - from the Hindu Kush in eastern Afghanistan to Russian southern Siberia. It flickers in the crevices of the Pamir rocks, sweeps the snow of the Tien Shan with its tail, crosses the gorges in the mountains of the Mongolian and Gobi Altai, inspects the heights of the Karakorum and Kashmir.

In Europe, it was first seen in 1872, when the Governor-General of Turkestan, Konstantin Petrovich Kaufman, sent a couple of young snow leopards from his possessions.

The snow leopard is secretive in nature and small in number - no more than 7,500 pieces on the entire globe, except for those two thousand individuals that languish in zoos. It is so inaccessible to observation in wildlife that even today, at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, scientists have not reached a consensus on who to consider the snow leopard and to what genus.

WHAT CAT?

What no one doubts is that the snow leopard is a cat. And, in the opinion of an amateur, it is quite large: perhaps a little smaller than the leopard, with which he was confused for so long: the British today call the snow leopard a snow leopard.

The beast weighs up to half a centner, and a long fluffy tail is almost equal in length to the body - up to a meter plus! On the other hand, the snow leopard does not know how to growl like leopards or tigers, but it can purr like a domestic cat. He tears his prey like a big cat, but he sits down and lays down to eat it exactly like a small one. Out of desperation, they began to consider him an average cat. And tired of finding similarities and differences now with a leopard, now with a tiger, they are increasingly separating it into a separate genus Uncia, in which it is one, disconnected and unique.

Feel the difference: Snow leopard or irbis (1) and KCaucasian leopard or Persian leopard, sometimes called the Persian leopard (2). They are often confused, meanwhile, the snow leopard is not found in the Caucasus and never was found. The snow leopard is a Central Asian highlander: Altai, Pamir, Kashmir...

WELL EQUIPPED AND PROTECTED

Today the snow leopard is firmly established in the Red Book International Union Nature Protection, in the Red Book of Russia and in the security papers of other countries. It was not so before: in the 17th century, its very Turkic name "irbis", which means "snow cat", was introduced into the Russian language by Russian merchants-furriers who bought the skin of "irbiza" or "irbish" from Turkic-speaking hunters. Why not buy when the skin is a passion as good: the fur is long, soft, white-smoky color with dark rosette spots.

Snow leopard fur repels water - how else to survive on the border of eternal snow? Nature has successfully adapted the snow leopard to mountain life: paws, covered with thick hair even between the fingers, boldly step on ice and snow in winter and on hot stones in summer. Neither the frost is terrible for him, nor the heat ...

The inhabitants of the mountains special character. It may be an accident that in Russian the words "mountain" and "proud" differ only in one letter, but accidents, as you know, are not accidental.

The 6th Volunteer Expedition "In the footsteps of the snow leopard" has ended in Altai. The group consisted of about 20 volunteers from different regions Russia. For the first time, students took part in the project - winners of the All-Russian competition "In the footsteps of the snow leopard", organized by the Russian movement of schoolchildren. As a prize, the finalists received tickets to Mountain Altai- the habitat of the snow leopard.

For the first time the expedition took place in the Sailyugemsky National Park, earlier it took place on the Chikhachev Ridge. At the final press conference, the organizers, partners and participants of the social and environmental project in the Altai Republic shared their impressions and proposals for the conservation of the snow leopard.

61 individuals officially live in Russia, 35 - in Altai, of which 15 - 17 - in the Sailyugemsky National Park. Volunteers saw one of the snow leopards with their own eyes. In the Chagan-Bayan tract, the expedition members observed how a snow leopard guarded a female Altai mountain sheep.

• We made sure that rare animals feel protected in Sailyugemsky Park. During one day of the field trip, we saw on the slope a large herd of argali, listed in the Red Book, there were about 100 of them. Then we noticed five black vultures, also listed in the Red Book, soaring in the sky. And at that moment, the national park inspector saw the snow leopard! For about 15 minutes we looked at him, and he posed for us. This meeting will be remembered for a lifetime,” shared Mikhail Metelev, a member of the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren from the Sverdlovsk Region.

The role of children in the expedition is educational: to inform their peers about the importance of preserving the snow leopard not only in their own regions, but also in other regions of Russia, said Nikolai Maleshin, Deputy Director of the Central Chernozem Reserve, participating in the project for the second time. Police methods alone cannot save the snow leopard in Russia, Alexander Karnaukhov, senior project curator of the Altai-Sayan branch of WWF, continued this topic: it is necessary to bring up the younger generation in ecological education, attract young professionals - perhaps some of the students will devote their lives to studying and preserving the snow leopard and will join the ranks of Russian snow leopards.

During the expedition, the volunteers visited monitoring sites in the tracts of Sarzhematy, Kamtytugem and Bayan-Chagan. We learned how to identify the traces and habitats of the snow leopard, checked the camera traps and additionally installed another one - they presented the park with an automatic registration camera. Igor Pautov, the head of the expedition “In the footsteps of the snow leopard”, noted that the volunteers are ready to cooperate with the Sailyugemsky park, but there is no urgent need for this:

• There are well-established monitoring and protection systems on the territory of the park rare species, which we saw during the expedition, in contrast to the Chikhachev Ridge, which is not part of any protected areas and, as a result, is not protected by anyone. Our task is to organize the help of volunteers in the conservation of the snow leopard in this area. We believe that it is necessary to create a buffer (protection zone) of the Altai Nature Reserve.

Participants and organizers of the project contacted open letter to representatives of government agencies and the public, in which they outlined the main threats to the populations of the snow leopard and argali on the Chikhachev Ridge. In addition to creating a buffer zone, recommendations include: imposing a moratorium on the extraction of the Siberian ibex, the main food item for the snow leopard, in this area, canceling permits for the development of minerals and regulating the flow of tourists in habitats of rare animals. The organizers plan to send proposals for the conservation of the snow leopard in Altai to the special representative of the President Russian Federation on environmental protection, ecology and transport Sergey Ivanov.

Press service of the Sailyugemsky National Park

Photo by Evgeny Strebkov

School-complex with gymnasium education No. 29

extracurricular activity on ecology

Head: Completed:

teacher of biology and geography for a student of 11 "A" class

Kolesnikova L.A. Malkov Nikolai

- Bishkek - 2017

Subject: In the footsteps of the snow leopard

Target: to increase the level of knowledge of students about morphological and biological, behavioral features snow leopard, to acquaint with the problems of the ecosystem, the main conservation measures to preserve the number of ilbirs.

Educational competencies:

Know the main distinguishing features of the snow leopard as a representative of the cat family;

They are aware of the features of the habitat and the complexity of the ecosystem in which the ilbirs stands at the top of the food pyramid;

Determine negative factors affecting the status of the population.

Social competencies:

Highlight the problems of reducing the number of snow leopards

They understand the importance of the measures taken by the state to preserve the number of snow leopards.

Personal competencies:

Accept the importance of nature conservation;

They assume personal participation to create conditions for the preservation and increase of the snow leopard population.

Cognitive competencies: increases interest in the study of nature native land and environmental education.

Equipment: PC, screen, projector, presentationMicrosoftPowerPoint

Event scenario

Opening speech, greeting.

Good afternoon dear friends! In our country, since 2013, active work has been carried out to preserve and increase the "lord of the mountains" snow leopard, whose numbers have decreased in a short period of time and continue to decline for various reasons. Today you will learn about unusual predator and the problems of its population.

/A lecture is conducted by a subject teacher or with the participation of schoolchildren trained in sections./

Slide 2 - About 2% of world flora species and more than 3% of world fauna species are found in the Kyrgyz Republic. Taking into account that the country occupies 0.03% of the planet's area or 0.13% of the land, this is quite a lot.

Area. Snow leopards are the highest mountain cats.The maximum height at which the leopard was found reaches 6000 meters.

slide 3 - Data of the SAEPF of Kyrgyzstan on the number of snow leopards for 2011.

slide 4 - The snow leopard is found in Russia and in 12 mountainous countries of Asia: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. Irbis rangein Central and South Asia, it occupies the territory of mountainous regions with an area of ​​​​approximately 1,230,000 km².

Slide 5 - The habitat of the snow leopard in the Kyrgyz Republic covers all regions of the country, both the Tien Shan mountains and the northern Pamir-Alay ranges (Alai, Trans-Alai and Turkestan ranges). The total area suitable for the habitation of ilbirs in the country is estimated at 54,000 km 2 which is more than one-fourth of the country.

Slide 6 - The densest range of ilbirs in Kyrgyzstan is observed on the ridges: Pskem, Chandalash, Talas, Kyrgyz, Suusamyr, Chatkal, Fergana, Turkestan, Alai ridges, as well as on Kungey and Teskey Ala-Too, Naryn-Too, Moldo-Too, At-Bashi , Sary-Jazz and Kokshaal-Too.

Slide 7 - Climate. In terms of space and, consequently, in terms of climate, our mountainous country is a transitional country between the Pamir and Altai-Sayan systems. The climate of the high-mountainous part of the Tien Shan, where the life of the ilbirs mainly passes, is distinguished by negative average annual air temperatures and the absence of a frost-free period. At an altitude of more than 3.5 thousand meters above sea level, daily frosts are common in summer. The nival zone has an arctic climate. Temperature conditions at the level of 4000 m are comparable with those in the Anadyr region and about. Wrangel. The amount of precipitation varies from 1000-1500 mm in the northern and western Tien Shan to 200 mm. in the driest regions of the Inner. A stable snow cover on most of the highlands forms late. Snowy winters are typical for the western Tien Shan, the snow depth here can reach 1.5 m or more. Common snow avalanches. The snow line passes at an altitude of 3.6-4.6 thousand meters. It is lowest on the Andiysky, Kirghiz and Talas ridges.

Slide 8 - Inhabiting the upper belts of high mountains, ilbirs prefer areas of small open plateaus, gentle slopes and narrow valleys covered with alpine vegetation, which alternate with rocky gorges, heaps of rocks and talus. The ridges where snow leopards usually hang out are usually characterized by steep slopes, deep gorges and rock outcrops.

Slide 9 - Ilbirs can also be found in more leveled areas, where shrubs and scree provide them with shelter to rest.

Slide 10 - The snow leopard in Ladakhi language is Shan, in Mongolian - irbis, in Urdu - barfani chita, Russian merchants who adopted the name of the beast from Turkic hunters back inXVIIcentury, they called the beast an irbiz. INXVIIIcentury in Siberia, Semirechye, Central Asia the word "leopard" was used for the name of the leopard, and in popular usage it began to be attached to the snow leopard due to the similarity of the species. INXIX – XXFor centuries, in the Russian-language zoological literature, the official name has been strengthened for the snow leopard Latin name- Uncia uncia, and the term "leopard" remained behind the leopard - Panthera pardus . In Kyrgyzstan, the snow leopard is called ilbirs or "Ak Ilbirs" - white leopard.

Slide 11 - At present, the systematic position of the genus Snow leopards has been determined for the snow leopard (Uncia), occupying an intermediate position between big cats (genusPanthera) and a group of small cats (genusFelinae). The snow leopard has a combination of traits that are characteristic of both representatives of the Panthera genus and the genus of small cats.

Slide 12 - Ilbirs -a large cat with a long fluffy tail, long brownish-gray coat with a clearly visible pattern in the form of ring spots in the form of rosettes. The spotted pattern is relatively pale, the diameter of the spots is from 5 to 8 cm.

slide 13 - The main background of the winter fur is light gray, which perfectly masks the beast in its natural habitat - dark rocks, stones, White snow and ice. The general background of summer fur is characterized by a lighter, almost white color and a sharp outline of dark spots.

Slide 14 - Wool is high, thick, soft,with thick undercoatits length on the back reaches 55 mm,serves as an excellent protection against the cold in harsh climatic conditions. Even between the fingers of the ilbirs, thick wool grows and protects the paw pads from the cold in winter, and from hot stones in summer.

Slide 15 - The tail is very long, exceeds three-quarters of the body length, serves as a balance when jumping.The snow leopard can rightfully be considered the record holder for long jumps among cats: in pursuit of prey, it can jump up to 6 meters. There is evidence that during the hunt, the length of the jump can be up to 14-15 meters.

Slide 16 - The head is relatively small and rounded in relation to the size of the body. The ears are short, bluntly rounded, almost invisible in winter fur. The eyes are large, with a round pupil. There is a more developed, sharp vision compared to other representatives of the cat.

Slide 17 - As a result of the adaptation of the ilbirs to hunting in the rocks by hiding, his eyes are set so high that, crawling up to the prey, he can follow it without raising his head high.

Slide 18 - An adult ilbirs, like most other cats, has 30 teeth. The long and movable tongue is equipped on the sides with special tubercles, which are covered with keratinized epithelium and allow you to separate the meat from the skeleton of the victim, they also help with “washing”.

Slide 19 - The body is elongated, squat, slightly raised in the region of the sacrum. The length of the body from head to tail is 103-130 cm, the length of the tail itself is 90-105 cm. The height at the shoulders is about 60 cm.

Slide 20 - The limbs of the snow leopard are relatively short, the muscles of the pawswell developed.snow leopard pawsflat, wide and massive, have retractable clawsand thanks special structure feet allow you to walk in deep snow without falling into it.If the snow is loose, then the snow leopard tramples permanent paths in the snowdrifts, which it uses to move for a long time. In the snow they leave large rounded footprints without claw marks.

slide 21 - Sexual dimorphism is observed - males are larger than females (body weight of males - 45-55 kg, females - 22-40 kg, body length - up to 2.1 m).

slide 22 - Snow leopard unlike major representatives of the Feline family, despite the incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, which, according to a number of scientists, allows big cats to emit an inviting “roar-growl”, it can only “purr”.

slide 23 - Data on the reproduction of the species are scarce. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of age.The snow leopard's rut ​​takes place inlate winter or early spring from the period of courtship and family formation. The lair is arranged in the most inaccessible places:in crevices, caves, or other places where they will not be disturbed by likely enemies. The bottom of the den is lined by the female with wool and undercoat, which is torn out of itself.

slide 24 - The female brings offspring not every year. For one litter, the female brings from2 to 3 cubs, less often 4-5, once every two years, the gestation period lasts 90-110 days. Cubs are born weighing up to 500 grams, up to 30 cm long, blind and helpless, but after 6-8 days they begin to see clearly., at 10 days of age, kittens begin to crawl.

Slide 25 - Newborn Ilbirs are distinguished by pronounced dark pigmentation of spots, which are few, especially few are ringed, but there are large solid black or brownish spots on the back, as well as short longitudinal stripes on its back.For the first 6 weeks, leopards feed on mother's milk,and at the age of two months they begin to leave the den to play at its entrance. From that time on, the mother begins to give them meat food.

Slide 26 - Finally, young ilbirs become ready for independent life for the second winter.Separation of the offspring is believed to occur between 18 and 22 months of birth, with the young offspring remaining with their mother for some time after maturity.

Slide 27 - The male does not take part in the upbringing of the cubs.In pairs, leopards are united only during the mating season.

Slide 28 - The snow leopard is very good hunter. For him, hunting is not only a means of obtaining food, but also fun. It's a predatorhunting for large prey, which can be three times its mass. Throughout its range, it is the top of the food pyramid and almost does not experience competition from other predators. The main prey is ungulates: mountain goats, argali, wild boars, etc. From time to time they feed on small animals atypical for their diet: ground squirrels, pikas, and birds, which are mainly caught at night. At one time, an adult snow leopard can eat 2-3 kg of meat.

Slide 29 - Representatives of this species use the terrestrial type of hunting, they are most active at dawn and dusk, and the snow leopard spends the day either in the den or not far from the den.Snow leopards hunt alone, skral (creeping up to the animal from behind a shelter) or from ambush, for hours watching for prey along trails, watering holes, hiding on rocks. When a few tens of meters remain before potential prey, the irbis jumps out of the shelter and quickly overtakes it with jumps of 6-7 meters.He can make high jumps up to 2.5-3 meters.If he fails, he is able to pursue the victim at a distance of no more than 300 meters.Not catching the prey immediately, he stops the pursuit after a few jumps.It tries to grab large ungulates by the throat, strangles or breaks the neck. Having killed the animal, the ilbirs drags it under a rock or other shelter, where it begins to eat. The rest of the prey is usually thrown. Plant food- green parts of plants, also included in the animal's diet as an addition to the main meat diet only in summer.

In late summer, autumn and early winter, snow leopards often hunt in families of 2-3 individuals, which are formed by a female with cubs; adults do not hunt together. Food is distributed between the female and the cubs.

Slide 30 - The maximum known lifespan in the wild is 13 years. Life expectancy in captivity is usually about 21 years, but a case is known when a female has lived for 28 years.

Slide 31 - The number of snow leopards is constantly decreasing for a number of reasons.It is obvious that the anthropogenic factor is the main factor limiting the Ilbirs individuals.

Ilbirs have always been in demand on the world market and were valued very dearly. Main fishing areas former USSR, before the ban on hunting it, there were Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The skins were mainly used for making carpets, women's fur coats, fur coats and collars,it was prestigious to present the skin of a leopard as a gift.

slide 32 - For a long time, the ilbirs was considered a dangerous and harmful predator, so hunting for it was allowed all year round, by any means. For the extraction of the snow leopard, they even gave out a bonus. However, in relation to a person, the ilbirs is very timid and, even when wounded, attacks a person in exceptional cases. On the territory of the former USSR, two attacks were recorded: on July 12, 1940, in the Maloalma-Ata Gorge near the city of Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan), an ilbirs attacked two people, seriously injuring them. He was killed and as a result of the study it turned out that the snow leopard was sick with rabies. In winter, also near the city of Alma-Ata, an old, emaciated, toothless snow leopard jumped from a cliff onto a passing man.

Slide 33 - The sale of live ylbirs has been and, unfortunately, remains a profitable item for zoo export. Illegal financially attractive poaching continues to decline in population.The value for poachers and hunters is the skin, bones and claws of the animal, which have beneficial features and are used in traditional medicine. According to various sources, a baby animal on the black market is valued at $10,000, and the skin of a dead adult leopard is valued at $5,000.

slide 34 - A case of poaching in the Issyk-Kul region caused a real resonance. On January 16, 2016, it became known that a resident of the village of Teploklyuchenka shot a snow leopard, which is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species of animal. During the check, the already processed skin of the killed animal was found at the poacher. By his own admission, he went to the syrts to hunt wolves and, under cover of night, confused a leopard with a wolf and accidentally shot an animal listed in the Red Book. A criminal case was initiated against the man under the article "Illegal hunting". According to the law, he faces imprisonment for 3 years or a fine of 500,000 soms.

Slide 35 - Among the factors negatively affecting the status of the population, along with poaching, one should include the features defensive behavior snow leopard. Using the protective coloration of the fur and having little or no natural enemies, in case of danger, ilbirs often simply hide, which in conditions of open mountainous terrain and the presence firearms in the local population often leads to the death of animals.

Also, snow leopards do not disdain to eat the remains of fresh victims of other predators and often die eating poisoned baits illegally used to fight wolves.

slide 36 - Another problem for the snow leopard ecosystem is the intersection of the habitat and the necessary prey base with “core zones”, which are most favorable for local topography, construction of automobile and railways, expansion of areas for extraction and processing of minerals, expansion of grazing areas.

Slide 37 - Ecologists note the threatglobal population of the snow leopard and the negative impacts of climate change. So because ofchanges in the environment, pastoralists of the highlands rise higher and higher on the slopes of the mountains, displacing a rare predator from its original habitats. Over the past 16 years, the number of snow leopards in the world has decreased by 20%.

Slide 38 - Snow leopard protection in Kyrgyzstan. For many peoples, the ilbirs is a sacred, totemic animal. “Spotted lightning”, “silver miracle”, “master of the mountains” - this is what people say about the snow leopard with respect and admiration. The snow leopard has become a symbol of many independent countries- Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan, Kazakhstan and some others, however, unfortunately, very little has been done to preserve its population in these countries.

Slide 39 - The reduction in the range and number of snow leopards is primarily due to the lack of effective measures to preserve and restore high-mountain ecosystems that support the existence of the snow leopard, with the lack of protection from ongoing poaching, as well as the active reduction of its food supply as a result of hunting.

Slides 40-44 - According to the statistics of the Bishkek Center global program on the conservation of the snow leopard and its ecosystems, in 2015 there were about 300 snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan, in total there are from 3.5 thousand to 7.5 thousand snow leopards in the world.At the same time, it is difficult to determine the exact figure, since they are in constant movement.

What is the government doing to preserve and restore the snow leopard?

In 1985, the snow leopard was included in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR.

In 2000, it was listed on the IUCN Red List as “endangered” (the highest protection category EN C2A), and in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). INMarch 2011 by decree of President Almazbek Atambayev, the former hunting area of ​​Shamsha was transformed intoreserve for protection natural environment leopard habitat.

IN2011-2012 With the support of WWF Russia, a study was conducted, which made it possible to determine that over 20 snow leopards inhabit the territory of the reserve. WWF Russia is actively working inSarychat-Ertash Reserve since 2009. The Fund provides technical assistance to the reserve, holds joint events with international experts to improve the skills of employees and implements other projects.

INOctober 2013 year in KyrgyzstanWorld Forum for the Conservation of the Snow Leopard. As a result of the forum in Bishkek, a fund was created to protect a unique animal - the Snow Leopard Foundation, it was decided to allocateOctober 23 is International Snow Leopard Day.

As part ofNational Snow Leopard Conservation Strategy in Kyrgyzstanfor 2013-2017 a project is being implemented to study the daily activity and track the migration of snow leopards using satellite collars.

State Protection Agency environment and Forestry, Department rational use natural resources Kyrgyzstan together with the agency's specialists public association"Panther" approveda program to use satellite collars to track the migratory corridors of the snow leopard and its daily activity.In November 2015, specialists were able to install a collar on the first snow leopard. Monitoring data will make it possible to establish the diet of snow leopards, as well as the processes of their coexistence with other predators.

Since the end of 2015, camera traps have already been installed in its habitats as part of the project to identify Red Book animals in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. To date, the devices have been installed in Kemin and Suusamyr. Until the end of 2017, camera traps for snow leopards will be installed throughout Kyrgyzstan.

The State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry, together with UNDP, has developed a program to increase the population of snow leopards of the Central Asian programs together with the NGO "NABU-Germany", which, like other environmental organizations, finance and implement major programs to combat illegal hunting and trade in endangered species animals.

In order to protect the flora and fauna, wildlife sanctuaries have been created in Kyrgyzstan, natural parks and reserves, such as: Issyk-Kul, Sarychelek, Besharal.

In Kyrgyzstan, there is Karakol. The Center for the Protection of Wild Animals (the territory of the former zoo) receives crippled animals or animals that for some reason cannot return to nature.

Slide 45 - It is important increased propaganda protection of the species among the local population, protection and implementation of the relevant articles of the Law on the Protection of the Wildlife of Kyrgyzstan. The main condition for the conservation and maintenance of the snow leopard population is the effective communication of all organs state power to make timely decisions. To solve the tasks set, projects are being implemented to involvement of the local population(jamaats) to protect animals, joint work is being carried out with the canine training center for service dogs to identify traps and search for hidden derivatives.

Slide 46– The development of ecotourism is of great importance for the conservation of the snow leopard.

Slide 47 - When analyzing the ongoing activities in Kyrgyzstan, it can be stated that a lot is being doneto preserve and increase the population of ilbirs, but it is necessaryfurther teamwork With international organizations to develop a strategy for the conservation of the snow leopard. In this regard, it is important to regulate the work of hunting farms, monitor animals, track and protect animal migration routes, introduce the practice of exchanging animals with zoos around the world in accordance with the UN Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

After allThe conservation of snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan is of great importance for the survival of the entire species, because these animals constantly migrate and can make long transitions outside their habitat, and our territory is a kind of corridor between the populations of snow leopards in the north of Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

In order to preserve the snow leopard population in the republic, it is necessary to involve local communities in the conservation process, mitigate the conflict between humans and wildlife, and manage the range.

Slide 48 - In September 2017, the II World Forum on the Conservation of the Snow Leopard Population will be held in Kyrgyzstan where the results of the work carried out will be summed up and further joint actions for the conservation of these rare animals will be determined.

Slide 49 - I would like to end my speech with the words from the song-anthem of ecotourists:

"So let's save
Lord of the Gorges
We are for the vulnerable
And the fragile earth
To distant
Our descendants
snow leopard
You could see!

Slide 50 - Thank you for your attention!

Reflection. Questions:

Did you enjoy today's event?

Would you like to know more about the snow leopard?

Would you like to take part in the conservation of the snow leopard population?

Homework:

1. Using additional sources of information, prepare information sheets on sheets A-3 (posters, pictures, messages, etc.). on the topics: “Save the snow leopard”, “We are the descendants of the snow leopard” or choose a topic yourself.

   Compose a story about the life of a snow leopard or write an essay (sheet A-4)

October 2 at the Kursk Regional Scientific Library. N.N. Aseev, a photo exhibition “FOLLOWING THE SNOW LEOPARD” was opened, dedicated to the continuation of the activities of non-profit volunteer expeditions in Altai and Mongolia. The photo exhibition was organized by a member of the expedition - Deputy Director for the Protection of the Central Black Earth state reserve Nikolai Maleshin with the assistance of the non-profit voluntary organization "In the footsteps of the snow leopard" and the Kursk Regional scientific library them. N.N. Aseeva. The exhibition presents 54 photographs that tell about the work of the expedition and a photo of its main character - a snow leopard, or snow leopard.

Last year, on October 12, the opening of the first photo exhibition "In the footsteps of the snow leopard" took place, which told about the participation of our fellow countrymen in unusual scientific research organized thousands of kilometers from the Kursk land - in Altai along the border with Mongolia. The All-Russian social and environmental project “Volunteer Expedition “In the Footsteps of the Snow Leopard” was launched in September 2015. Its initiator and organizer was Igor Pautov from Novosibirsk, who managed to "infect" many people with his idea. The participants of the expedition are mostly people who have nothing to do with ecology, who are representatives of a wide variety of professions: workers, entrepreneurs, doctors, managers, marketers, lawyers, journalists, programmers, engineers, civil servants.

Considering that in Russia 2018 was declared the “Year of the Volunteer and Volunteer”, it was decided to continue getting to know the residents Kursk region with the results of the next two volunteer expeditions - VI and VII, which took place in the spring and autumn of this year, with the great assistance of the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren (RMS) and the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.

As a result of the All-Russian competition among schoolchildren "In the footsteps of the snow leopard", organized by the Russian Children's School, finalists were selected from 200 contestants from 50 regions of Russia - schoolchildren from the Ryazan, Amur, Sverdlovsk regions, the Udmurd Republic and the Perm Territory. As a prize, the finalists received tickets to Gorny Altai, the habitat of the snow leopard. Moreover, for the first time the expedition took place in the Sailyugemsky National Park, earlier it took place on the Chikhachev Ridge. At the final press conference in Gorno-Altaisk, the organizers, partners and participants of the social and environmental project in the Altai Republic shared their impressions and proposals for the conservation of the snow leopard. 61 individuals officially live in Russia, 35 - in Altai, 15-17 of them - in the Sailyugemsky National Park. Volunteers saw one of the snow leopards with their own eyes in the Chagan-Bayan tract. A young snow leopard was seen lying on a mountain mane near a female Altai mountain sheep he had killed. “We made sure that rare animals feel protected in Sailyugemsky Park. In one day of the field trip, we saw on the slope a large herd of argali, listed in the Red Book, there were about 100 of them, we noticed 5 black vultures, also listed in the Red Book, soaring in the sky. And at some point, the national park inspector saw a snow leopard. For about 15 minutes we looked at him, and he posed for us. This meeting will be remembered for a lifetime,” shared Mikhail Metelev, a member of the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren from the Sverdov Region.

The role of children in the expedition is educational, notes Nikolai Maleshin, who participates in the project for the second time, to inform their peers about the importance of preserving the snow leopard not only in their own, but also in other regions of Russia. Police methods alone cannot save the snow leopard in Russia, it is necessary to educate the younger generation, attract young professionals - perhaps one of the students will devote their lives to the study and conservation of the snow leopard and join the ranks of Russian snow leopard experts.

The social function of the project is unusual and reflects a completely new direction of social activity, which is best defined by the term - citizen science. First and foremost, this is not a commercial project. Volunteers are an independent initiative group. This form of organization is the key to an adequate understanding by the volunteers of the ideas, goals and objectives of the project. As well as the selection of people with an active life position, who prefer the consumer approach prevailing in society today - a creative approach. Volunteers not only participate in the project, devoting their time to research in extreme field and weather conditions, but also act as its sponsors Volunteer contributions are aimed at: direct expenses for the expedition, technical equipment and repair of transport, organization of educational events (photo exhibitions, meetings with children and groups activists), publishing souvenirs, paying for printing services for printing booklets, leaflets, calendars and brochures. Moreover, at the initial stage, the following items were purchased at the expense of volunteers: a UAZ 39625 four-wheel drive vehicle, more than 10 camera traps, a DJI Phantom 4 quadcopter, a number of field household items (tents, portable stoves for heating, dishes and much more). The idea of ​​the project is to enable conscious and caring citizens to bring good and benefit to their country and the planet as a whole, making a feasible contribution to the conservation of the snow leopard. To implement the goals and ideas of the project, volunteers are helping professional researchers and academic specialists in monitoring the number of snow leopards in Russia.

The quantitative and qualitative results of the project implemented by volunteers are very impressive, although the project has been in existence for only three years. In this short period, 7 volunteer expeditions "In the footsteps of the snow leopard" took place. As a result of the 5th volunteer expedition, information was collected from camera traps about 8 different individuals of the snow leopard on the Chikhachev Ridge. 50 volunteers from all over Russia and from abroad took part in the expeditions. 200 schoolchildren took part in the All-Russian competition of essays and videos "In the footsteps of the snow leopard", and 4 winners took part in the VI volunteer expedition, where they were lucky enough to observe the snow leopard in the wild with their own eyes. In addition, 400 children and young people took part in international competition youth and children's creativity "Nature is the heart of life!" in the nomination "In the footsteps of the snow leopard". 3 photo exhibitions were held by participants of volunteer expeditions in different regions of Russia based on the results of regular field studies. There are several hundred publications and references to the project in regional and federal media (videos, interviews, articles). At a press conference in June of this year, which took place after the completion of the VI volunteer expedition "In the footsteps of the snow leopard" in Gorno-Altaisk with the participation of the relevant ministries of the Republic of Altai, an OPEN LETTER was announced with proposals for the conservation of groupings of the snow leopard and the Altai mountain sheep on the Chikhachev Ridge (Republic of Altai), prepared by schoolchildren from the Russian Children's School, volunteers and the expert community. Following this, the joint work of the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren with scientists, volunteers, federal and regional authorities, interested organizations of the Republic of Altai began on a draft regulation on the creation of a buffer (buffer) zone of the Altai State Natural Biosphere Reserve on the Russian side of the Chikhachev Ridge, which will be presented to the special representative President of the Russian Federation on environmental protection, ecology and transport Sergey Ivanov. The development of this topic was the holding on August 24 of a scientific and technical council in the Altai Reserve, which finally officially decided to create a buffer zone on the Chikhachev Ridge. Thus, the first stage was passed and the decision was made unanimously. Based on the results of the NTS, an initiative group was created under the leadership of Sergey Vladimirovich Spitsyn (senior researcher of the Altai Reserve, member of volunteer expeditions and leading Russian expert on the snow leopard), who was appointed responsible for preparing documentation for the second stage.

In August, Ekaterina Trushina, a schoolgirl who participated in the 6th volunteer expedition, presented the project "In the footsteps of the snow leopard" at the RDSh forum "Step into the Future of the Country" in the All-Russian camp "Eaglet". And in conclusion, for the first time in the VII expedition, volunteers spoke directly from the wheels to the schoolchildren of the Kosh-Agach region with the latest news on the results of field work.

Nikolai Maleshin, Deputy Director for Protection of the Central Black Earth State Reserve