Safe haven for snow leopards

NABU's rehabilitation facility for injured wildlife in Kyrgyzstan

Chüy Region - Three hours by car to the east of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek lies the world's largest open-air enclosure for snow leopards. NABU's rehabilitation and environmental education centre is a unique establishment in Kyrgyzstan and has a long history. The facility located in Suluu-Terek, however, was only opened recently, in 2022. Injured animals that have been found or confiscated are taken in here, receive medical treatment and, whenever possible, are returned to the wild after regaining their health. If the animals are severely hurt and can no longer survive in the wild, they remain under NABU's permanent protection and care.

Baktybek Azhybekov is the rehab centre's veterinarian, responsible for the medical care of all the animal residents. As the facility includes a veterinary station with an operating room, he is able to react quickly and carry out almost all medical procedures himself. The rehabilitation centre consists of a main building and aviaries for wild birds. Behind this, spread over green slopes, are located the massive open-air enclosures for snow leopards and other wild animals.

The NABU rehabilitation centre as a place of learning

The rehab centre has also dedicated itself to the cause of environmental education, recognizing that nature can only be successfully protected in the long term by raising awareness and support within the local population. Through targeted programs, schoolchildren are introduced to the native wildlife of their homeland, university students engage in scientific studies, and educational materials are developed for wider community use. “In Kyrgyzstan, there are only a few zoos and museums. The schools barely offer any environmental education,” explains Tolkunbek Asylkulov, head of the NABU office in Bishkek. “That’s why we see it as our task to convey to children what nature and species conservation really means.”

Aside from the new rehabilitation centre, NABU also operates an environmental education centre located in the project region of the Kara-Kujur Valley. There, NABU Kyrgyzstan offers children, youth and other interested visitors a chance to observe the local project activities. These include, for example, snow leopard protection carried out by the anti-poaching unit Gruppa Bars.

Gruppa Bars (English: Group Snow Leopard) patrol on behalf of NABU and implement effective measures against poaching. They follow up on every tip regarding poaching activity, check fur traders at markets and search for traps set up in the mountains. The rangers are primarily active in the north and south of Kyrgyzstan.

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