Rustam Minnikhanov opens Ak-Ilbirs snow leopard research centre in Kyrgyzstan

A new research centre, Ak-Ilbirs, opened in Kyrgyzstan on the territory of the Issyk-Kul State Nature Reserve, timed to coincide with International Snow Leopard Day. The ceremony was attended by a delegation from Tatarstan led by Rustam Minnikhanov. Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev recalled a presidential decree recognising the snow leopard as a national symbol.

The opening began with the symbolic untying of a traditional knot, known as boo, on the Path of Unity. Minnikhanov described the snow leopard as an ancient symbol that unites peoples. Tatarstan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Azat Ziganshin, and Kyrgyz Minister Akyl Toktobaev toured the laboratories and the veterinary unit.

The centre covers 1,600 square metres and will serve as the second site after the one in the Altai Republic. A starting breeding group of three animals from Kyrgyzstan will be housed there, and scientific support is provided by the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Russia currently has 94 snow leopards, while a first comprehensive assessment presented in 2025 estimates 234 to 349 animals in Kyrgyzstan.