In the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, a mountain goat escaped from a hungry snow leopard

In the Sayano-Shushensky Biosphere Reserve, a mountain goat jumped into the river to escape a hungry snow leopard. The animals were captured by a camera trap.

A young female snow leopard named Bazaginka chased her prey for a long time, but was never able to feast on the meat. The hunt took an unexpected turn – a cunning mountain goat swam away from her. Further developments of events remained behind the scenes.

There are permanent hunting trails for snow leopards in the reserve. These routes are laid along the ridges of the Western Sayan with access to points that allow you to view more land and see potential production on the slopes. Experts identify two main strategies for snow leopard hunting: sneaking and stalking in places where ungulates are concentrated and crossing.

According to the staff of the scientific department of the Joint Directorate, the main method of hunting is still stealth hunting. The snow leopard attacks its potential prey, as a rule, from above, with long jumps of up to 5-6 meters, starting the attack from a short distance. In case of an unsuccessful jump, the victim is rarely pursued, rather, by inertia, for several tens of meters.

Senior researcher Roman Afanasyev explains:

“Bazaginka looks well-fed, which indicates a high level of hunting skills. In this situation, perhaps the young female snow leopard was showing playfulness towards her prey, which may explain the lack of more active actions on her part. The outcome of this hunt remains unknown, however, an atypical behavior for an ibex was recorded – escaping by swimming, since Siberian mountain goats are usually not inclined to swim.”

These unique images provide a visual illustration of the harsh laws of the wild, where every day is a struggle for survival, requiring not only strength and speed, but also the ability to anticipate and adapt to a variety of hunting scenarios. For scientists, such observations are invaluable: they allow a deeper study of the behavioral characteristics of the rarest predator and the mechanisms of transmission of hunting experience.

All materials were obtained during a scientific expedition conducted by members of the Directorate with the participation of representatives of the Khakass Republican Branch of the Russian Geographical Society as part of the grant project “The Snow Leopard is the Master of the Sayan Mountains”, supported by the Presidential Fund for Nature.