On March 22, a group of zoologists from the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution and the Sayano-Shushensky State Nature Reserve caught a snow leopard in the nature reserve as part of a joint programme supported by the Russian Geographic Society to study and monitor the snow leopard in southern Siberia.

The animal, named Mongol, was already caught by scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Permanent Expedition two years ago. The animal was first treated in spring 2011. It was injured by a poacher’s snare and was also suffering from septic wounds after fighting with other snow leopards. It was then taken to an enclosure for treatment. The animal did not take long to recover and, after having a satellite collar attached, it was set in the same location where it had been trapped. Since that time, Mongol has been registered by trail cameras several times. The animal's health fluctuated over the next two years. At times, the animal looked healthy, at other times, quite thin. These periodic changes are typical for large predators and are due to various factors, including disease and starvation. The last photo taken about two months ago shows the 12-year-old Mongol an emaciated animal. Bald sections were spotted on its inner thighs – a skin condition usually caused by ticks.

When the animal was caught on March 22, however, Mongol was in excellent shape. The itchy rash had disappeared completely and the snow leopard looked well-fed. The animal was immobilised, biological samples were taken, and a new collar was attached. Sixty minutes later, Mongol returned to its normal way of life.