Randy Boissonnault, who resigned as employment minister, had long described himself as the great-grandson of a Cree woman, but now acknowledges he was wrong about his family’s ancestry.

These rare glimpses into their hidden world provide our researchers with crucial data about snow leopard population dynamics, reproductive biology, social behaviors and apparent survival rates that would be very difficult to gather any other way. Our team members have once again sifted through thousands of camera trap images from Mongolia’s Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve in 2023. This protected area within the Gobi Desert supports a thriving population of snow leopards that our research team has studied for sixteen years. Every image adds to our understanding of how these endangered cats interact with each other, their environment and the people who live alongside them, helping us develop more effective conservation strategies to protect them, not just in Mongolia but across their entire range. Each year, our teams install 180 camera traps across more than 7,000 km² of snow leopard habitat in Mongolia’s Tost Nature Reserve and surrounding mountains, rotating the cameras between study areas every two to three months. In late 2023, a total of 43 camera traps were set up by the community rangers in Tost Nature Reserve, where we surveyed an area of about 1,500 km². Tost community rangers placed cameras near snow leopard scrapes along ridgelines, saddles, and valleys to maximize the snow leopard ‘capture’ rate.  After collecting the data cards, our team members went through thousands of photos and sorted the snow leopards from the other animals. Then, they began the painstaking work of identifying the snow leopards based on pelt patterns and photos from previous years. Figure 1. Location of camera traps for the snow leopard survey in Tost 2023. The red circles represent our Base Camp and the town of Gurvantes. Initial Observations Snow leopards were photographed on 37 out of 43 camera traps. We observed 19 adult snow leopards from previous years, three new adult snow leopards not seen in previous years and five potentially new adults, transients, or subadult snow leopards. The total number of adult cats encountered in 2023 was at least 22 and may have been as many as 27 adult snow leopards. This indicates a stable population from previous years. New adult cats in 2023 Batbayar, F17, and M22 (M22 was collared in the fall of 2023 and F17 in the spring of 2024) Our cameras captured four females with young (first-year) cubs in 2023. F10 with two cubs, F11 with one cub, F12 with three cubs, and Nandu with three cubs.  Five females were accompanied by second-year cubs in 2023 (i.e., cubs born in 2022): Antoine with two cubs, Clown with two cubs, Presnel with two cubs, Zaya with one cub, and one unknown female with one cub.  This means that 17 snow leopard cubs are growing up in Tost! Established females The females from previous years were observed in more or less the same areas as in earlier years (see Figure 2 below). Approximate location of established female snow leopards encountered in the camera survey in Tost in 2023. The red circles show Base Camp and the town of Gurvantes. Antoine resides in western Tost and is Anu’s daughter from 2015. Antoine had two cubs in 2022 that were still with her in 2023. That was Antoine’s second litter.  Clown inhabits South-Eastern Tost and has been with us since 2019, when she was encountered as an adult. Clown was seen with two second-year cubs in 2023. That was her second litter that we know of.  F10 (Khuurhun Ach) is a supermom who we’ve monitored since 2014 when she was first observed as an adult. F10 gave birth to two cubs in 2023, her fifth litter in Tost! We don’t know F10’s exact age, but we do know that she was at least 12 years old in 2023. She gave birth in 2014, and since snow leopard females do not reproduce until they are at least three years old, we can infer that she was born in 2011 or earlier. F11 resides in South-Central Tost and is Anu’s daughter from 2017. F11 was seen with one young cub in 2023. This is the first successful litter we’ve documented from her. Given that she’s six years old – older than typical first-time mothers in Tost, who usually reproduce at 3-4 years – she may have had previous failed attempts. F12 (Willian) inhabits South-Central Tost and is Anu’s daughter from 2015. F12 gave birth to three cubs in 2023. That was her third litter.  F17 (Altai) is new to our study. She was collared in the spring of 2024 and appears to be relatively young, so she may not be settled in a home range yet. However, she is spending time in what used to be Agnes’ and Dagina’s range. Nandu has been monitored since 2021 but was mistakenly thought to be two different cats. This year, we were able to link these “two” cats into one. Previously, we had images showing only one side of each cat, which contributed to the misidentification. Nandu gave birth to three cubs in 2023. This is her first litter known to us.  Presnel is Dagina’s daughter, born in 2014, and is quite well known to us. She had three cubs in 2022 that were still with her in 2023. Presnel and her cubs are world-famous for their appearance in the sunset sequence at the end of the Planet Earth 3 Extremes episode (filmed in the fall of 2022).  Zaya resides in South-Eastern Tost and has been monitored since 2018. She was seen with two second-year cubs in 2023. Originally, she was observed with only one young cub in 2022, but we must have missed the other cub during the survey. These cubs are Zaya’s second litter that we know of.  Click to view slideshow. Established males The males from previous years were encountered in more or less the same areas that they were observed in previous years (see Figure 3 below). It’s interesting to note that there were a lot of males in Southcentral Tost, which could possibly explain why M21 left the area in late fall of 2023 and M20 was killed by another snow leopard in spring of 2024. Approximate location of established male snow leopards encountered in the camera survey in Tost in 2023. Base Camp and the town of Gurvantes are shown by the red circles. Bugs inhabits western Tost (in Tosonbumba and the area to the southwest). He is Dagina’s son from 2019 and appears to be settling in his natal area, which is a bit unusual as male mammals typically disperse and leave their natal areas. Kurzawa reigns in the Northeastern part of Tost. He was first seen in 2015 as an adult. After many years of being “one of the most photographed cats in Tost” Kurzawa is now considered relatively old for a wild snow leopard (at least 11 years in 2023).  M15 (the Dude) The infamous Dude is the heaviest wild snow leopard that has ever been weighed. He was first seen in 2018 as an adult and had a reputation for destroying cameras in those days. We estimate he is around ten years old now, as he was already an experienced cat with quite a few facial scars when we first collared him in 2018. M18 (Namar) resides in Southeastern Tost. We first encountered him in 2019 as an adult when he was collared.  M20 (Suul 3)  Nicknamed Digger because he was observed digging for water on two occasions. To our knowledge, this behavior has not been reported in large cats or other carnivores. You can read our recent paper detailing this interesting behavior here.  M20 resided in southcentral Tost where he was first observed in 2020 as an adult. Unfortunately, he was killed in the spring of 2024, likely during an aggressive encounter with another snow leopard.  M21 (Sym) was first documented on our camera traps in 2019 as an adult. Although he is a large cat, 2023 proved to be a challenging year for him. He lost an eye in the spring and subsequently appeared to be displaced from the area he had occupied for about four years. In recent years, there have been several male cats in south-central Tost, including M20, M21, Nomadic, and Rando. This likely led to territorial conflicts and increased competition for space. M22 resided in Northwestern Tost and was new to us when we collared him in the fall of 2023. He appeared to be relatively young and may not have settled in a territory yet. Unfortunately, M22 died in the spring of 2024 from unknown causes.  M23 (Salkhi) lives in Southeastern Tost and was first observed on our cameras in 2021 as an adult. He was collared in the spring of 2024. At that time, our team suspected he might have taken over M20’s territory, but it was still too early to confirm. He also had some wounds that likely resulted from territorial disputes with other males. Nomadic now resides in South-Central Tost and has appeared on our cameras since 2021. He was originally considered a non-resident but is a  resident cat now. Rando now lives in South-Central Tost. But he was first photographed in the nearby Noyon area in January 2021. You may remember our camera traps revealed that Rando traveled 86 kilometers as the crow flies between January and May, crossing the relatively flat desert steppe between the two mountainous regions to get to Tost. He is now considered a resident snow leopard.  Click to view slideshow. Established cats of unknown sex Batbayar is a new cat to us who resides in North-Central Tost. We suspect that Batbayar is a male (as the private parts are hinted at in one of the photos). Guierro cub 1 from 2020 is just starting to become a resident cat. Snow leopards tend to settle into a home range at about 3-4 years old.  Guierro cub 2 from 2020: Like its sibling, this cat is just starting to become a resident. We will hopefully learn more about both of them as time goes on.  Cats Off Camera Two resident adult cats were not seen on camera last year: Akka and M14 By methodically tracking individual snow leopards through camera traps and GPS collaring we have decoded key behaviors – from hunting strategies and habitat use to breeding patterns and cub survival rates. Each year of data strengthens our ability to make informed decisions to protect both snow leopards and their fragile mountain ecosystems. Sign up for our monthly E-News to receive all the latest snow leopard conservation updates. Photos: SLCF-Mongolia, SLT Acknowledgments: This Long-Term Ecological Study is in collaboration with Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia and Snow Leopard Trust with special thanks to the Ministry for Environment and Green Development, the Government of Mongolia, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for their support. SLT would also like to acknowledge: Acton Family Giving, Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park, Kolmarden Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, National Geographic Society, Nordens Ark, Play for Nature, Tierpark Berlin, The Big Cat Sanctuary/Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Tulsa Zoo, Whitley Fund for Nature, Zoo Basel, Zoo Dresden, and Zoo New England. Special thanks to Enkhburen (Buren) Nyam, Choidogjamts “Choidog” Byambasuren, Temuulen “Temka” Ulziibadrakh, Purevjav “Pujii” Lkhagvajav, Dr. Gustaf Samelius and the Tost community rangers for all their work in implementing the camera trap research and painstakingly identifying these individual snow leopards! Thank you to all the many committed partners who have supported our research in Mongolia along with our Long-term Ecological Study since it began in 2008. We could not do this work without you. The post Meet the Snow Leopards You’re Helping Us Protect appeared first on Snow Leopard Trust.

Buren Nyam is a community ranger who works closely with Snow Leopard Trust and Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation (SLCF) and was born and raised in the Tost Mountains. He initially observed distinct paw markings at a temporary watering hole near his home in early 2022. Digging for water is not a widely observed phenomenon for big cats, so our team placed camera traps near the site to assess the behavior and the potential role of snow leopards as “ecological engineers.” Ecological engineers are species that directly or indirectly shape the environment in ways that impact other organisms. In this instance, the snow leopard digging may have also provided water for other wildlife and inadvertently helped maintain biodiversity in this desert habitat. http://snowleopard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Digger-video_digging-part.mp4 This cat – who we now refer to as “Digger” would eventually be the twentieth male in our long-term study after our team collared him in spring 2023. A year earlier, in the spring and summer of 2022, we observed him digging at the site near Buren’s home on two occasions. He was also photographed drinking water from the dig site both times. This suggests that the digging was related to accessing subsurface water.  “The observed digging behavior involved the snow leopard raising its front paws one by one. It positioned each paw on the ground and then pulled them back with sufficient force to displace the dirt beneath. This action likely aimed to create a depression for drinking or to uncover water sources hidden beneath the surface.” – Buren Our team also observed other species drinking from the site after the snow leopard’s dig, including red fox, chukar and stone marten. Later in the year, when temperatures were subzero and the ground was mostly frozen, four other snow leopards were observed stopping at the watering hole site but not drinking. Tost is part of the Gobi Desert and receives as little as 130mm of precipitation annually. Droughts are common, and extreme winter storms, called “dzuds,” can be catastrophic for local livestock, wildlife and people. Despite these potential extremes, we know from our long-term study that the area hosts a stable population of snow leopards. Vantage of Tost with Snow Leopard Trust’s base camp. While this cat’s behavior is fascinating, we do not yet know if it is a learned behavior of one individual or a common adaptation for snow leopards in arid landscapes. It also reveals new insights into the relationship between snow leopards and water in habitats without abundant water. Understanding the importance of water to snow leopard ecology is especially important as human activity (primarily livestock grazing and large-scale mining) increasingly puts pressure on the limited water resources in this area. Additionally, learning more about how snow leopards adapt to arid conditions will be crucial for protecting them and their habitats as we navigate a rapidly changing climate in the coming decades. Sign up for our monthly E-News to receive all the latest snow leopard conservation updates. Read the full paper here. Photos: SLCF-Mongolia, SLT Acknowledgments: We thank the Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve administration in the South Gobi for their invaluable support and cooperation. We also acknowledge the community groups working to protect snow leopards in this landscape. This long-term ecological study is in collaboration with Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia and Snow Leopard Trust, with special thanks to the Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, the Government of Mongolia, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for their support. SLT would also like to acknowledge: Acton Family Giving, Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park, Kolmarden Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, Nordens Ark, Play for Nature, Tierpark Berlin, The Big Cat Sanctuary/Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Tulsa Zoo, Whitley Fund for Nature, Zoo Basel, Zoo Dresden, Zoo New England and the many incredible partners who have supported programs like our Long-term Ecological Study and research in Mongolia since it began in 2008. We could not do this work without you. Thank you to all the many incredible partners who have supported our Long-term Ecological Study and research in Mongolia since it began in 2008. We could not do this work without you. The post First-Ever Observation of Water-Digging Behavior in Snow Leopards appeared first on Snow Leopard Trust.

Our team monitored long-term indicators from four conservation interventions in China, Kyrgyzstan, India, Mongolia and Pakistan. These four interventions were collaboratively designed and implemented with communities to meet their specific needs. Each bespoke conservation program aimed to promote coexistence between people and snow leopards by mitigating potential conflict and enhancing livelihoods. The specific interventions that were evaluated include: Predator-resistant corrals Livestock insurance Livestock vaccination Handicraft programs SLE participant in India Two questionnaires were developed for this study, translated into local languages and distributed to communities participating in at least one of the above interventions. The responses were compared to those from communities not participating in any of the above interventions. Households surveyed had similar demographic and economic characteristics, and gender balance was a goal of the survey. Across both surveys, respondents involved in at least one conservation intervention reported significantly lower retaliatory intentions towards snow leopards than those not involved in any intervention. Respondents involved in two or more interventions also reported lower intentions. However, the sample size of respondents involved in two or more programs was too small to generate statistically significant results. Construction of a predator-resistant corral We also analyzed each conservation intervention and found them to be effective within their specific scope: reducing losses of livestock to predators, reducing livestock mortality from disease and providing women with an additional source of income. We also found a majority of the respondents believed that community cooperation and economic security had increased because of participation in the conservation interventions.  Predator-Resistant Corrals: 107 predator-resistant corrals were implemented before the survey began. We interviewed representatives from 139 households in India, Pakistan and Mongolia, some with predator-resistant corrals and some with traditional corrals. In traditional corrals, 248 small-bodied livestock and 36 large-bodied livestock were lost to predators during the study period. Those with reinforced corrals recorded zero losses of small or large-bodied livestock. Livestock Insurance: Sixty-six communities involving approximately 1400 households engaged in livestock insurance programs in Mongolia, Pakistan, India, and China. We interviewed representatives of 61 households. 80% of participants reported greater financial stability, and 67% noted increased community cooperation due to the insurance program.  Livestock Vaccination: In Pakistan, over 20,000 households participated in a “snow leopard friendly” vaccination program. 96% reported it was effective in keeping their livestock healthy, and participants reported losing fewer large-bodied animals to disease than non-participants. 61% of respondents reported increased cooperation within the community due to the program. Conservation-Linked Handicrafts: 473 households across India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Mongolia earned additional income through handicraft production. The program generated up to $47,214 annually, with additional conservation compliance bonuses of around $10,000 distributed to participants. 84% of participants agreed that household income had increased as a result of the program; 85% reported that they felt more confident since joining the program; and 74% felt that the program had led to increased cooperation within the community. These initial findings are promising and show that the overarching goal of coexisting with snow leopards is possible. However, conservation is an ongoing challenge, especially with threats like climate change on the horizon. The key to future success lies in continuing to build resilience through respectful, locally-led and long-term partnerships with communities. This research provides valuable evidence that when conservation programs engage with and benefit Indigenous and local communities, they can create lasting positive change for both people and wildlife. These conservation programs have protected snow leopards and enhanced livelihoods for decades. This would not be possible without the generosity of supporters like you. Consider lending your support during this giving season with a donation to help bring these conservation interventions to even more communities in snow leopard habitat. Read the full paper here. Photos: NCF-India, SLT, Munmun Dhalaria We are grateful to all the staff who participated in the data collection and to all our partner communities for their engagement. We thank the Darwin Initiative (grant 22–044), the Whitley Fund for Nature, and Acacia Conservation Fund for supporting this work. We also thank Natwest Foundation India, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited, and Conservation Leadership Program for their support. The post Proof in Action: Snow Leopard Conservation That Works appeared first on Snow Leopard Trust.

Donald Trump’s new choice for attorney general.

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The I.C.C. rejected Israel’s challenges to its jurisdiction and also issued a warrant for a top Hamas official. Its chief prosecutor is seeking the arrests for war crimes in Israel and Gaza.

The country’s new leaders are trying to undo changes, like abortion restrictions and politicized courts, made by their hard-right predecessors. It “takes longer than you expect,” one minister said.

Laila Soueif, the British-born mother of the Egyptian political prisoner Alaa Abd El Fattah, is demanding the U.K. do more to secure his release.