On 23 October, the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve will host events marking International Snow Leopard Day.

International Snow Leopard Day was established in 2013 at the Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum in Bishkek by representatives from 12 countries where the snow leopard is found: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Experts estimate that the number of snow leopards worldwide may vary between 3,500 and 7,500, with as few as 70-90 animals living in Russia.

The most studied group of snow leopards in Russia, of 5 or 6, lives on the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve territory.

The programme of events for International Snow Leopard Day, developed by the nature reserve and its partners, will start on 23 October in the village of Shushenskoye, where a tour, “Wild Cats of South Siberia”, will be held for participants and guests, as well as the screening of new film about snow leopards of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve. The organisers will hold an event, Your Own Game, for students of the Shushensky Agricultural College, and will also present their new methodological development, a snow leopard-themed intellectual game. During the next part of the programme, the event participants and guests will take part in a creative contest. The holiday's events will conclude with the awarding of certificates and prizes to the contest winners.