Snow leopard mating call video-recorded in Russia
It’s only the second video of the snow leopard calling for a female ever video-recorded in Russia. Munko, snow leopard male, called after the Munku-Sardyk mountain ridge he inhabits, was captured by camera trap in Buryatia Republic, near border with Mongolia.
The voice was recorded by WWF experts, biologists of “Asia-Irbis” eco-NGO from Irkutsk city, a long-term partner of WWF in snow leopard monitoring in Altai-Sayan. During summer expeditions to monitor the Bolshoi Sayan and Tunkinskiye Goltsy ridges in Buryatia Republic. The programme is supported by WWF and World Around You foundation of Siberian Wellness.
The camera-trap captured Munko, snow leopard male, while making a roar to call for a female. It’s the second ever video-recorded in Russia voice of the snow leopard. The first video of a rare predator making a call was also recorded in Buryatia Republic year ago. It was video of Dimka male snow leopard.
The video is recorded at daytime and you can clearly see the snow leopard himself. It is a big luck as snow leopards are nocturnal animals and most of video and photos we have are dark and you can’t see the animals that clear. Munko walks around the stones and cliffs and make a calling sound.
Apart from Munko piercing yowl the scientists registered another male snow leopard called Bator who has been followed by experts for years. Both males are safe and sound, they live nearby and compete with each other for females’ attention. Each individual has his own ground and Munko is stronger than Bator, but Bator is luckier with females. Bator is presumably a father of the cub called Gagarin (as his first image was captured on April, 12, Сosmonautics Day) born by Kucheryavaya (“Curly”). Bator is probably a father of another litter of three cubs born by female, called Threat to Cameras (as she likes destroying them).
The expeditions to Eastern Sayan is supported by WWF and World Around You foundation of Siberian Wellness.