The snow leopard spotted earlier near Almaty and actively filmed by city residents is now being tracked with a satellite collar.
According to Kazakhstan’s Forestry and Wildlife Committee, the predator hunted down a deer near the road in the Big Almaty Gorge. Photos and videos of the site quickly spread on social media, prompting a large number of tourists to visit the spot.
Despite specialists’ warnings, people approached too closely, made noise, and launched camera drones, disturbing the rare animal and posing a potential danger to themselves.
«To protect the snow leopard and prevent possible negative consequences, specialists decided to temporarily capture the animal. A satellite collar was fitted, and necessary biomaterials were collected to assess its health and rule out possible diseases,» the committee said in a statement.
The procedures were conducted under short-term anesthesia and in accordance with international standards, involving personnel from the Institute of Zoology, Ile-Alatau National Park, Almaty Zoo and the Snow Leopard Foundation.
The collar tracks the predator’s movements near the city, enables prompt responses to dangerous situations and reduces the risk of conflicts between humans and wildlife. The device is equipped with automatic and remote release systems and is designed to detach on its own after a period of one or two years.
The agency also noted that laboratory analysis confirmed the snow leopard is healthy and added that it has left the area. The committee also called for people to respect wildlife and to show responsible behavior toward it.
