A SES-ENDORSED EXPEDITION

We warmly welcome this opportunity to explain about the Sutai Khairkhan Mongolia 2025 expedition, which is endorsed by the Scientific Exploration Society, and ask for your support in enabling us to acquire the camera traps we need to make the project a reality.

The expedition is being advised by Colonel John Blashford-Snell CBE with Professor Kh. Terbish, of the University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar as the Scientific co-ordinator

The primary objective of the expedition is to deploy about 35 camera traps to capture images of snow leopards in the previously unexplored Sutai Khairkhan Mountain. Using automatic cameras, the study will provide crucial data on indviduals and insights into the population and behaviour. Our study will aid the Snow Leopard Trust in their dedicated efforts to protect and conserve this precious species.

By providing financial support to acquire the camera traps, the project will be able to deliver the first survey and set of comprehensive data of snow leopards in the Sutai Khairkhan mountain range of Mongolia.

The camera traps will be distributed over a wide and rugged area during the expedition (from 4 July to 24 July 2025). They will be in position for a period of one year and will be monitored regularly.

The snow leopard (“Panthera uncia”), known as the “Ghost of the Mountains,” is a symbol of wilderness and balance in high-altitude ecosystems. According to a report sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, Mongolia has the second highest population of snow leopards by country but has an estimated population of just 953 adults as of the 2017-2020 survey.

The Sutai Khairkhan mountains in western Mongolia harbour a small but crucial population of snow leopards. Protecting this fragile population is essential for sustaining the biodiversity of the region and preserving this iconic species for future generations.

The expedition is being self-funded by the expedition members to enable a team of Mongolian scientists and support staff to carry out their research by:

• Deploying a network of at least 34 camera traps to map snow leopard movements and population density.

• Collaborating with local communities and learning more about the human-wildlife conflict challenges they face.

• Conducting outreach community and scientific programmes to benefit the local communities and raise awareness about snow leopard conservation in Mongolia and internationally.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO BUY CAMERA TRAPS

We are looking for financial support for equipment, and particularly the provision of camera traps. With an average price of a camera trap in the region of £500 each, we are looking to raise some £20,000 from individuals and foundations.

In return for your support, we will acknowledge you through our social media platforms, and in print and online media such as the expedition blog, press, film and the final report.

The final expedition report will be circulated to all financial donors and the Royal Geographic Society, the Scientific Exploration Society, the National University of Mongolia and the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation.

Many thanks for your support to this worthwhile cause.