How scientists count Kazakhstan’s snow leopards
How do you count an animal that rarely lets itself be seen? Scientists use camera traps and DNA to tell snow leopards apart. Today, October 23, marks International Day of the Snow Leopard. Qazinform News Agency explores how researchers count these elusive cats in Kazakhstan.
Built to stay out of sight
A snow leopard’s gray-white coat blends into rocky slopes. Its broad paws help it cross snow, while its long tail provides balance. Wrapped around the body, that tail also keeps the animal warm.
Snow leopards usually live alone and are most active at dawn and dusk. Their home ranges can span hundreds of square kilometers. Cubs stay with their mothers until they become independent at around two years old.
In Kazakhstan, their habitats stretch across the country’s southern, southeastern, and eastern mountains. These include the Tien Shan, Zhetysu Alatau, Altai, and Saur-Tarbagatai ranges.
Recognizing the same cat
Ten photographs do not necessarily mean ten snow leopards. The same animal may walk past several cameras or return to one spot.
Scientists tell them apart by their spots. Each snow leopard has a unique pattern. Matching those patterns across photographs helps researchers count cats without counting one twice.
In Kazakhstan, a UNDP-backed project installed 294 camera traps between 2018 and 2024. The cameras offer glimpses of lives researchers rarely witness themselves.
In March 2021, UNDP shared footage of a snow leopard family in Zhambyl Region. Three cats appeared on cameras in the Merke Forestry area.
At Kolsai Kolderi National Park, a camera recorded a snow leopard walking at night.
In Altyn-Emel, researchers found evidence in 2021 that snow leopards were raising young. According to UNDP, better protection, recovering habitats, and more prey helped the cats return.
Where do they go next?
A camera records a snow leopard passing by. A satellite collar helps scientists follow its journey beyond that spot.
Kazakhstan began using these collars in November 2021, starting with a cat in Altyn-Emel. By the end of 2023, researchers had fitted 11 animals with tracking devices. They worked in the Northern and Central Tien Shan.
The cats crossed borders, too. Tracking revealed routes into China and Kyrgyzstan. Knowing these routes helps scientists understand which areas need protection beyond individual parks.
In 2024, four parks and reserves in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan agreed to work together. Their five-year agreement covers research and protection of the habitats these cats share.
Counting cats through DNA
A snow leopard does not have to appear on camera to leave identifying evidence. Researchers can extract DNA from hair and scat to identify animals and investigate family relationships.
A 2011 study in Nepal demonstrated this approach. Researchers tested 71 scat samples suspected to come from snow leopards. They confirmed snow leopard DNA in 19 samples. Ten yielded enough genetic information to identify nine cats.
Two samples found around four kilometers apart came from the same animal. Matching their DNA prevented a double count. Researchers identified three males and six females without capturing them.
The results established a minimum count, not the area’s entire population. Some samples belonged to other carnivores. Others contained DNA too degraded for analysis, highlighting the need for careful storage.
DNA can also reveal a species’ past. In 2025, Stanford University researchers and collaborators, including the Snow Leopard Trust, reported findings from genome research. Their work increased the number of sequenced snow leopard genomes from four to 41.
The team found exceptionally low genetic diversity. Their analysis suggested that snow leopard populations remained small for at least 900,000 years. Limited diversity could make adapting to environmental change harder.
How many live in Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan had an estimated 80–100 snow leopards by 1995, according to UNDP’s 2024 overview. Habitat degradation, human pressure, and declining prey had reduced their numbers.
A UN publication from May 2026 cites estimates of 130 animals in 2019 and 152–189 by 2024. UNDP’s 2024 assessment placed around 70% of the country’s snow leopards within protected areas.
The species remains classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Poaching, declining prey, habitat loss, and climate change continue to threaten its survival.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that researchers fitted a snow leopard named Altai with a satellite collar. The procedure took place at Katon-Karagay National Park, a first for Kazakhstan’s Southern Altai. The device will help scientists track its movements and identify key habitats.