Alpine Kyrgyzstan, mountain valleys around Altyn-Arasham.

Mountain valleys around Altyn-Arasham. Mountains of Kyrgyzstan are home to a rich biodiversity which includes the vulnerable snow leopard. The snow leopard Panthera uncia is the smallest and rarest of the so-called “big cats” from the genus Panthera. The estimated population of snow leopards remaining in the wild is as few as 3,500 to 7,500. Their elusive behaviour and their expansive habitats, spanning between 200–400 km² for an adult male, has made it difficult to accurately estimate their population size, but experts agree that it is declining. They naturally inhabit high mountain ranges throughout Asia.