Russian holidays - Snow Leopard Day in Altai

May 26 is a date that is very important for many countries Poland celebrates Mother's Day, Georgia celebrates Independence Day, and Russia celebrates Russian Entrepreneurship Day According to the lunar calendar, this day has some similarities with the New Year, which gives every person the right to hope for the fulfillment of his wishes The Altai Republic does not stand aside, but, along with many cities and countries, organizes a holiday, because May 26 is snow leopard day for the residents of Altai The tradition of remembering this species of the cat family dates back to 2010, when this ecological day was born Thanks to the residents of the Far Eastern regions of the country, who have been celebrating Tiger Day for several years now, the residents of the Altai Mountains took up the baton from them, founding Snow Leopard Day, whose task is to protect these wonderful mammals from cruel hunters Irbis and snow leopard are a couple of other names that have taken root quite tightly in society The main habitat of snow leopards is Central Asia According to estimates by the World Wildlife Fund, about two hundred individuals are inhabitants of the highlands of the Russian Federation Along with many other species of cats, the snow leopard is listed in the Red Book of Russia and in the documentation for the protection of this representative of mammals in some other countries Adult snow leopards usually lead a solitary lifestyle, although individuals are sometimes observed living in full family units In some cases, snow leopards are harvested several times greater than their own size and weight As a rule, these are ungulates, including deer, wild boars, roe deer, takins and others In appearance, the snow leopard is most similar to a leopard The most significant differences include the long tail and coat color The first snow leopard day took place in the same 2010 in a small village of the Altai Republic The Kosh-Agach region was chosen because it is there that the maximum concentration of snow leopards inhabiting the mountainous areas of Russia is observed It is quite possible that nothing would have worked out without the help of the Altai Development Fund, the Ukok Natural Park and the children's educational center It was they who laid the first stone in the development of the day of the snow leopard Quite a lot of people gathered at the holiday, including schoolchildren, who provided every guest with a good mood Funny themed competitions formed the basis of the first snow leopard day, which went off with a bang As a result, after some time, some other regions of the Altai Mountains took an example and also began to support nature The scale increased every year, which contributed to the arrival of guests not only from other cities, but also from other countries This fact once again shows the love for the world around us and the desire to protect it The point is to instill in the younger generation a love for such a stunning species of the cat family from an early age That is why on Snow Leopard Day children are the center of attention They are given the opportunity to learn more about what snow leopards are, draw them on a piece of paper, and also put on a camouflage suit reminiscent of this predator It is necessary to support this species by all means, since the ruthless hunters are not stopped by the ban This is because snow leopard fur is quite valuable This is what drives people to do unimaginable things Tigers are an indicator of what may happen to the snow leopards of the Altai Mountains in the near future At this point in time, unfortunately, there is not a single tiger left in Altai The same thing cannot be allowed to happen to snow leopards