One of the rarest animals that needs special protection is the snow leopard or leopard (Unica unica). The snow leopard is a mysterious animal that has not yet been fully studied and requires searching in the process of studying and cognizing natural value. The snow leopard is listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (category EN PSC). The only representative of its kind in the world and Kazakh fauna.
Snow leopards also live on the territory of the Ile-Alatau State National Natural Park. In addition, accounting, scientific research and monitoring of this animal are conducted. In the mountain gorges of the national park, starting from the steppe belt, steppe meadows, steppe forests, subalpine, alpine, and nival are distinguished. The national park also has forage stocks of snow leopard. Of the ungulates, maral, tauteke, wild boar, roe deer live. At the same time, the gray marten also lives from rodents. Partridges and Himalayan snails are also suitable for extraction. In the national park, the number of individuals in habitats is constantly fixed. Cameras are used to observe them. There are 35 cameras in the national park, of which 20 copies were donated under the UNDP program. Basically, one of the most noticeable situations is the meeting of females with puppies. Of these, a meeting with 3 puppies at once is extremely rare. Such encounters of predators with puppies have been regularly recorded since 2018. These are: in 2018 with 2 puppies, in 2019 with 2, in 2020 with 3, in 2021 with 3, in 2022 with 3 and in 2023 a mother with 3 puppies was captured in a camera trap. At an altitude of 2000 m. Permanent monitoring sites for winter habitats are established above sea level in the tracts and cameras are installed annually as seasonal migration takes place (in summer they rise to the upper belt).
The National Park concludes a scientific partnership contract with the Institute of Zoology and conducts systematic work. At the moment, 22 leopards have an ID code and a passport. The author of the work is the head of the Laboratory of Theriology at the Institute A. A. Grachev. The conservation agency has encountered several cases of weakened wild animals. In one of them, in December 2023, in the area of the premises where workers are building a “water dam” on the Aksai River, in the Aksai gorge, there was a small commotion with an animal. After this animal was taken to the Almaty Zoo, the sick predator soon died. Also, on the territory of the national park, satellite telemetry (leash) was applied to 2 Odessa individuals (both paternal) together with specialists from the Institute of Zoology of the OSH and Railway Committee and sent back to nature. The theme of scientific research of the leopard is fixed in the park. In addition, several scientific articles have been published in the periodical press in the form of a number of scientific and educational articles. In addition, the signs of the park area are shown in films and broadcast on domestic TV channels in the form of story materials. Campaigning is underway for the permanent protection and conservation of this species. Lectures and presentations will be given to schoolchildren and students. Since Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are a border state, projects to protect the mountains of the Northern Tien Shan are being considered together with the specialists of the Chong-Kemin Park from the fraternal country on the other side of the crossing. Under the auspices of the AF “Wildlife Without Borders”, 1 piece of cameras, flashcards and batteries were donated to the ownership of the National Park. Our task is to protect and preserve the snow leopard.
ҒЗЖ және ТАБӘ бөлімінің ғ.қ Жапарқұлов Т.М.