The Home of The Snow Leopard

This February, the Darwin Museum is happy to announce the opening of the second season of “Meet the Nature Reserves!” Festival promoting the abundant natural diversity of protected zones in Russia, as well as ecotourism, and volunteer movement in nature reserves and national parks. The first exhibition in 2020 entitled “The Home of The Snow Leopard” (Feb. 4 – Apr. 19) is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Sailugem National Park and its unique inhabitants.

10 years ago on the border of Russia and Mongolia, 3 000 m. above sea level the Sailugem National Park was created to save the rarest species: the Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the Altai argali (Ovis ammon ammon) - the largest species of wild sheep. The Altai Republic is known to be the habitat of the biggest population of snow leopards and the majority of argalis.

The Sailugem National Park is the home for many endangered species, such as the Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul) also called manul, the Siberian musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), as well as Sailugem isolated population of the brown bear (Ursus arctos). Moreover, it is a great place to study birds of prey.

Visit the exhibition to enjoy fantastic photos of the park made by professional photographers, fellow researchers of the National park, along with rare shots made by Automatic registration cameras. Discover the magnificent variety of nature – various kinds of exotic animals, breathtaking landscapes of the boreal forest, tundra, montane grasslands and shrublands, and steppe.

Part of Saylyugem National Park by I. Chupin

Argali by A. Kuzhlkekov

Manul by D. Malikov

Eurasian black vulture. Saylyugem National Park by D. Malikov

Saylyugem National Park by I. Chupin