International Snow Leopard Day to be observed on Saturday

Students can contribute to protecting endangered snow leopards by participating in a special event for International Snow Leopard Day on Saturday. The event will take place at the National Garden Park at 10:00 a.m.

The event encourages general education students to form an eco-club and compete in various activities, such as group exercises, cultural performances, short-distance walk, relay games, and an AKhA quiz. The top three eco clubs that are most active and contribute the most to promoting the protection of snow leopards will get a prize.

The event, themed “Protected through the Law”, will be organized by the Ulaanbaatar Environment Office, World Wildlife Fund Mongolia, Fresh Water Resources and Nature Conservation Center, and National Garden Park.

International Snow Leopard Day is an annual holiday celebrated on October 23 worldwide. It is dedicated to saving one of the rarest wild cats on the planet by raising awareness of the importance of snow leopard conservation, consolidating effort of environmental organization in the countries of the snow leopard range, and emphasizing the importance of taking measures to prevent poaching.

The snow leopard, also known as the ounce, is a large cat that inhabits alpine and subalpine zones in the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. As of 2016, the size of the total wild population was estimated at 4,000–8,000 individuals. However, this estimate has been disputed because snow leopards live in hard-to-reach places and lead a secretive way of life. The snow leopard is listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.