Tragedy as three snow leopards die in trap set by poachers in Altai Mountains

These images show the healthy cubs  caught on camera in 2014, before they vanished, sparking a puzzle for environmentalists. Now the mystery in the Argut River valley has been solved, and the painful deaths of the leopardess, called Vita, and her two cubs confirmed. 

Altai Nature Reserve researcher Sergey Spitsyn said: 'Vita was the first female with kittens which was photographed by the camera traps in the Argut River valley. 

'The kittens were around six months old at the time. For a long time their traces were not seen. They were not spotted by other cameras. Later we learned that her cubs were caught in a loop-trap which was put out for musk deer. 

'The mother tried to free them, but she was apparently in a state of distress - and finally ate the cubs. Then she got caught in the same loop and died.' 

Wildlife officials annually removed hundreds of traps set by illegal poachers. But this one was missed. The traps pose a huge problem for the leopards, he said, while also saying there are signs of hope for the species.

'Its hard to fight with this, but there are changes,' said Sergey Spitsyn. 'The number of leopards is growing. There is a lot of new broods. This season we found seven in different areas.'

The pictures - made by a poacher turned gamekeeper in 2014 - were seen at the time as a clear sign of the return of the snow leopard to the Argut area.

The snow leopard, slightly smaller than other big cats, is native to the mountains of Central Asia. While not as endangered as the Amur leopard, fewer than 7,350 are believed to survive in the wild. 

A much lower number are reproducing, hence international concern over their survival. Overall, snow leopards are found in Altai in small numbers but also in the Himalayas, the Pamirs, and the Tien Shan. 

A major threat to them is the surging global demand for cashmere, which is derived from the under hair of domestic goats and the livestock population of these animals has soared in recent years.

They consume the forage of mountain pastures that sustained a number of species of wild herbivores such as the ibex, the blue sheep, and the argali - the natural prey of snow leopards. Here in Russia, the snow leopards are known for their exceptional and highly valued fur.

'Their bones and other body parts are in demand for use in traditional Asian medicine and wild snow leopards are sometimes captured for private animal collections in Central Asia,' states the Snow Leopard Trust. 

'Many poachers are local residents who live in snow leopard habitat areas. These regions face high levels of poverty, and poaching offers a source of extra income that can be used to meet the most basic necessities of life, including food and shelter'.