Episode 3
Steve and the team head to remotest Kyrgyzstan in search of snow leopards - if the team can find evidence of the endangered big cat, they hope to protect this remote range.
Steve and the team head to the Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan to find one of the world鈥檚 most endangered big cats 鈥� the snow leopard. Kyrgyzstan sits at the heart of the global snow leopard population, but from the Himalayas in the south to Russia in the north, snow leopards are under threat right across their range.
The goal of this expedition is to explore the remote and impenetrable Djangart valley. Snow leopards are known to live north and south of here, but nothing is known about what lies between. No one has studied the cats here because these high-altitude peaks are so difficult to access, but this region is packed with precious minerals, and mining companies now have their sights firmly set on the Djangart valley.
Teaming up with Kyrgyz conservation group Snow Leopard Foundation, Steve and the team set out to find evidence of a breeding population of snow leopards. If they can find snow leopards living and breeding here, they hope to persuade the government of Kyrgyzstan to turn the Djangart valley into a protected nature reserve.
