Camera Traps Record Two Snow Leopards in Upper Besh-Tash, a First in Decades

TALAS — Camera traps in the upper Besh-Tash valley have recorded two snow leopards moving along the high ridges, the first confirmed in that valley in decades, the Forestry and Protected Areas Service of the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Friday.

The images are being read by the Besh-Tash Ranger Headquarters together with the Ilbirs Station, the research and rehabilitation station that Talas State University opened at Uuk-Bulak on 23 October. The Talas Herald also reported the sighting today.

Dr Aizhan Torobekova, head of the station, said the pair most likely wandered in from the Chatkal hills. "Cats do not read maps and they do not stop at the line," she said. "The Chatkal Highlands and the Talas Alatau are one range to a snow leopard, and the ridges above Besh-Tash are good ground for them."

The finding comes as the herds are coming down from the summer pastures, and rangers are already drawing up measures to keep the animals and the flocks apart. They include night corrals for stock left on the high ground, a call line herders can use to report tracks or sightings, and regular checks of the camera traps. No livestock loss or incident has been reported.

The upper valley is tribal land, so none of the measures can be applied there without the agreement of the Akjele elders. Rangers and elders have been talking about the plan, and officials describe the discussions as cooperative.

Natural Resources Minister Chingiz Asanov said the sighting showed what steady protection could achieve. "A snow leopard returning to a valley is the best report that a protected area can receive," he said. The core zone of the Besh-Tash National Park covers about 11,000 hectares of its 32,400.

The scientists stress that the two cats are being watched by camera alone. No capture, collar or release is planned, and the station asks walkers and herders not to go looking for the animals. The Ranger Headquarters will report again once the images have been fully analysed and the elders have given their answer on the herd-protection steps.

Related coverage: Kyrgyz plan to protect more high ground leaves Irad's snow leopards out of the talks (Talas Herald)