Results from PANTHERA Expedition

16 December 2011 Objectif Sciences International

During its sixth field trip to Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan), the PANTHERA Research Program team from "Objectif Sciences International" NGO, has taken new pictures of the snow leopard in its natural habitat.

The PANTHERA program is currently open to registration for available places on the 2012 expedition.

Today there are less than 400 examples of this discrete and solitary feline within Kyrgyzstan. Every year members of the PANTHERA scientific expedition are welcomed by the Sarychat-Ertash State Reserve, who are partners with the Objectif Sciences International NGO.

The 130 000 hectares reserve is perfect for tracking changes in wildlife populations: argali, ibex, wolves, bears, manuls, and snow leopard (Panthera uncia). The use of Camera traps has helped monitor and evaluate the progression of different species throughout the year. And in 2011 the team has just returned, with new pictures of the snow leopard.

Founded in 1992, the Objectif Sciences International NGO is a science education and scientific association dedicated to research in the field of sustainable development. In 2008 it was official recognized as an INGOs (International Non Governmental Organisation) by the Chancellery of the Republic of Geneva (Switzerland). In May 2011, the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) awarded it with a consultative status, thus providing the NGO with international scientific, educational and technological recognition.

The PANTHERA Research Programme was created in 2005 and conducted its first scientific expedition a year later. Significant results were obtained almost immediately. Every year since, members of the expedition (Swiss, French, Belgian, Russian ...) have been able to collect biological samples from animals in Europe (faeces, hair ...) and pictures captured by automatically triggered cameras (Camera Traps). The first pictures of a snow leopard were captured in 2009 at one of the tracking sites (transects). When the team returned to the reserve in 2011 they discovered more pictures of the animal on the cameras, taken at the same transect during the previous year. They can now move forward on better monitoring of the animal.

http://www.prog-panthera.com