A volunteer expedition, Following the Snow Leopard’s Tracks 2016, has come home with unique photos of snow leopards in the wild. Expedition participants have uploaded the photos from camera traps to social networks. One of the leopards was captured lazing around and yawning against the background of the Altai Mountains and has become the star of the photo collection, an organiser of the journey said.

The photos were retrieved during the third annual expedition led by Sergei Spitsyn, senior researcher at the Altai Biosphere Reserve. During their three-day trip across Kosh-Agach and the natural boundaries of the Boguty and Lake Kindyktykul, scientists went along the route where camera traps had been installed and checked their operation.

“We climbed up to the height of 3,500 metres, saw wild animals, walked along narrow paths and climbed down loosened rocks,” expedition participants said, adding that they had set up two more camera traps. In all, the expedition team brought back photos of two to four snow leopards.

Now it will be up to the experts to identify the exact number of the rare animals in the photos, using the individual spot patterns on their fur.