Manulization in the land of the manul: our trip to Altai 💚
Friends, hello everyone! We’re here! We’re back from the Altai Mountains, where we spent two wonderful weeks! 🏔️
Our plans for this summer mountain-steppe journey included:
- enjoying the nature of the Altai Mountains;
- checking and installing trail cameras for the manul monitoring program in southeastern Altai, run by the Manul Working Group;
- observing wild animals and photographing them;
- meeting a manul!
And now let’s go through everything in more detail!
We handled the first task with flying colors!
Beautiful Altai in July 🏔️
We visited several valleys, crossed many steppe roads and fords, and spent the night in amazingly beautiful places.
Trail Cameras
On this trip, we volunteered to help manul scientists and check 4 trail cameras installed in two clusters — “Talduairy” and “Bar-Burgazy” — and another 5 in the “Buguzun” cluster, if we had enough time, fuel, and money for it, since Buguzun is far from the first two clusters, and the price of gasoline in Kosh-Agach has more than doubled (a huge thank-you to our friend and fellow manulover, Evgeniya Vlasova, for supporting our fuel-guzzling steed ❤️!)
We managed to check 6 cameras, and one camera was not found at the site — most likely, it was stolen.
Among these trail cameras, one of the cameras is sponsored by manulover Hannah Bolam 🤗
Hannah, hello! Here is your camera! It is installed in the most beautiful place!
Not far from this place, in the steppe, stands a stone warrior — an ancient monument. Such monuments were created by ancient tribes and Turkic peoples thousands of years ago! In Altai they are called kezer-tash. It is believed that they depicted revered warriors, ancestors, or guardian spirits. In a word, a sacred magical place!
And here are the animals that were photographed by this camera (alas, the manul hasn’t come for a photo shoot yet — we’ll keep waiting!)
And these young fox cubs were very interested in the camera! 😄
We changed the batteries in the camera, inserted a new memory card, cleared the tall grass in front of the camera, and called upon the Great Manul for luck — wololo! 🤞
Two more cameras are sponsored by subscribers Pazispallas — we checked those too, changed the batteries, and installed new memory cards 👌
The first camera takes some dexterity to check, since it is mounted on a high rock in a small gorge, but with absolutely stunning views!
A lucky photo with Manul Bolom!
The second camera is on the slope of a large hill, and nearby we noticed a burrow. I wonder who lives there?
Oh! Do you recognize who peeked into the camera with one ear?
Yes, yes, it’s His Majesty the MANUL!
And on another trail camera, sponsored by Alice Li, the manul’s big brother — the snow leopard — was photographed!
The specialists have already identified him. This is an unnamed (for now) male who regularly appears on cameras in the Kurai Range. The scientists were very happy to see him in the photos again!
Interestingly, one of the cameras we checked had a badly damaged strap.
We couldn’t understand how that could have happened. But after looking at the camera photos, we were able to identify the vandal very quickly 😄
Would you like to adopt a camera and help scientists study and protect manuls? At the end of the article, we’ll explain how you can get involved.
Observing wild animals and photographing them
To photograph a wild animal in nature, there are two ways:
- Walk around and look for the animal;
- Stay low and wait for the animal.
We used to prefer the first option, but this winter the staff of Saylyugem National Park advised us to use the tactic of lying low and “keeping watch,” and also shared a few little secrets.
This time we decided to try this method. We hid on hill slopes and scanned the endless expanses around us through binoculars and a camera. We really enjoyed the process, and we’re eager to share with you what we managed to see and capture.
Luck smiled on us right away! A little steppe fox, the corsac (Vulpes corsac), went hunting in broad daylight, although the corsac is usually active at dusk and at night.
Herds of argali (Ovis ammon) roamed the mountains around us. Argali are Altai mountain sheep and the largest members of the sheep genus. The species is listed in the Red List.
This time we were lucky enough to see several argali literally 20 meters from us! They watched us for a long time, but we didn’t move or make a sound, so soon they stopped paying attention to us and went about their business — eating tasty grass on the slopes of our “watch” hill.
Look how it poses!
Majestic birds of prey circled above us. This is, for example, the black kite (Milvus migrans).
The little birds were no less majestic. Look at this serious little northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)!
On the opposite slope, an extravagant feathered creature was spotted — the bearded vulture, or lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus).
Here and there along the slopes, voles (Alticola strelzowi) and mongolian pikas (Ochotona pallasi) darted about — a favorite prey not only of the manul, but of many other predators as well.
We watched the fox. At first she wandered around and inspected her territory, then had lunch, and after that flopped down to sleep, curling up cozily by her burrow behind a tuft of grass. How cool is that!
And this is a handsome young hoopoe (Upupa epops). We spent a long time photo-hunting him! But it seems it turned out pretty well! 😻
In our observations, the most ardent steppe hedonists turned out to be Altai marmots (Marmota baibacina). They love basking in the sun, sprawled out by their burrow, looking around, or watching the sunset while thinking about eternity.
The weather was not always on our side, and sometimes we had to take a break from observing, hiding from strong wind and rain somewhere among the rocks.
And sometimes Vika interrupted the “watch” for a very important matter — a daytime nap in the fresh air (a hedonist no worse than a marmot!) 😹.
We really liked this observation method, and we plan to use and improve it during our future trips 😉
Meeting a manul
The most long-awaited and desired goal of our trip.
On this trip, we asked a local resident for help in finding the manul; he had been recommended to us more than once. That was exactly why we collected donations during a festive YouTube stream dedicated to International Manul Day (thank you again to everyone who helped make our dream come true). But unfortunately, this time he was unable to find the manul.
To be honest, in that moment we were incredibly upset, and Vika even burst into tears 😭
We agreed to stay in touch with our “manul detective” and set out searching again — perhaps in autumn or winter, and if that doesn’t work out, then next summer.
Well... it seems our totem manul continues to teach us to wait and never give up. And we accept this lesson...🙏
Each of you can help study and protect the manul in the wild. Adopt a trail camera (fully or partially) and become part of a big, good cause.
Adopt a camera now — https://savemanul.org/join-us/manul-camera-trap-sponsorship/
May one of the trail cameras watch the wild steppe thanks to you! ❤️
Comments 28
The hide-and-sleep method is excellent.
Pavel Burov, Yes, this is the real discovery of the season! We’ll keep practicing in the future!
Thank you for the splendid report❤️
This is beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! ♥ I am so glad you had such a good time! We sometimes forget that those steppes and mountains are teeming with life. It's amazing to see!
Hooraaay, welcome back 🎉🎉 I read it in one breath, fabulous!!! Beautiful photos/videos, beautiful Vika and Roma 😍, beautiful Altai. The manul will appear in your life again, don’t be upset, Vika 🙏 Thank you so much for sharing your journey ❤️
Roma and Vika, how lucky you are, two whole weeks amid divine beauty — it’s a spa for the soul; what splendidly magnificent photos, and how many useful things you’ve done, and the manuliks... are probably carrying out their great mission, teaching you something very important in life!
And for me, even without the wild manuliks, everything you do is deeply dear to me; thank you so much for the wonderful photo report and detailed story. I could hardly gather my thoughts after such majestic beauty! Thank you!!!❤️
Species.. It’s like another planet! Life is buzzing in the Altai Mountains, you saw so much beauty! Thank you for sharing it with us🙏
An amazing photo of a black kite, what power in that bird🔥 There are lots of pikas, that’s good, which means there must be a manul too) maybe he was lying there like a little stone or watching from cover, you little rascal) also "lay low and waited"😅 Vika, don’t be upset🙏
P.S. A photo of a ground squirrel sitting on its bottom, what a darling❤️
This is wonderful! I’m sure the spirit of the Great Manul will surely reward your patience.
What beauty, a true dose of nature therapy! Two weeks without the news buzz that you can’t hide from anywhere. And you’ll still come across manuls in the wild — not just one!😀🙏
Just so you know, those big-eyed rocks are manuls you supposedly didn’t see 🤪
Wow, what an amazing place you visited!
Whenever I see your posts, it feels like you’re traveling all around the world and truly enjoying life. I’m honestly a little jealous—especially because you get to visit the Manuls so often!
If you ever have the chance, I’d absolutely love to read a post about how you first fell in love with the Manuls and what inspired you to start traveling to see them. I’m really, really curious about that story!
Anyway, thank you so much. Thanks to you, I get to enjoy such beautiful scenery and see the Manul King from the comfort of my home. It always makes me so happy. Thank you! 😊
The last photo is gorgeous. Such a little eared cutie 🤗🥰😻
What does it mean to sponsor a camera trap?
Magnificent story! Your current journey is truly poetic, atmospheric, and utterly captivating! Every time I look at the amazing photographs with fantastical landscapes, mouthwatering trail meals, picturesque rest stops, and the coziest overnight stays, I am struck by how much enthusiasm, self-sacrifice, labor, strength, life, and soul you have devoted to manulotheism (I dare say the word)!
Very interesting and important narrative format — telling the story of each “named” camera trap and the patrons thanks to whom they were installed. For generous Benefactors, these are absolutely priceless and special emotions: to see which of the steppe’s masters came to look into the “adopted” lens you sponsored, and even to take part in a kind of unofficial competition: whose camera will be the first to capture the proud parade or the interested sniff-sniff of His Furriness himself!
Thank you, Roman and Vika, for the unique impressions you have given us!
THANK YOU FOR SUCH A HUGE AND INTERESTING ARTICLE (A KIND OF ACCOUNT OF ALTAI) IT IS BEAUTIFUL
Altai is a wonderful place not only for its views of the magnificent landscapes, but also for its fauna! It was a pleasure to encounter pikas, the unexpected handsome snow leopards, and, hopefully, manuls!
I think it’s the perfect ending to say goodbye
Amazing Job Roman and Vika, it shows how much dedication you put into this project. I hope one day your dream comes true!
Маргарита Абрамчук, I suppose that caring for it, checking how it works, and changing the batteries
Aimée Hogan, Oh yes, that’s absolutely true! If you glance quickly at the steppe or the mountains, they may seem lifeless. But all it takes is to stand still and start watching, and everything around comes alive — and it turns out these places are truly teeming with life! It’s real magic!! 😍💫
Таша, Thank you, Natasha! We’re glad you liked it🥰
Julia, Yulia, thank you so much! We’re very glad you liked the report — that means we’ll make more like this! ☺️
Oh, I was really so upset, because I was sure that this time everything would work out... But the manul, it seems, had other plans 😎
I’m okay now! Thank you very much for the support!
Pavel Burov, 100%!
Yes, yes, that’s exactly what the manul scientists tell us: you haven’t seen manuls, but they’ve seen you – yes 😜😁
How sad that we weren’t able to see a wild manul. But maybe they secretly studied you and approved of you. So next time, we all hope they’ll show themselves.
Ирина, Thank you so much! I won’t be upset anymore! I’ll wait for the next trip to Altai and the chance to see the fluffy precious little pest 😁 and there really are countless pikas this year! They’re squeaking everywhere! 👍🏼
Ahaha, by the way, this photo of the ground squirrel is my favorite from this trip! 😁 He was sitting so amusingly on the edge of a little mound, a fat little lump, warming himself in the rays of the setting sun! A real pleasure-seeker!
Inna Biryaeva, 🙏🙌🏻 Let it be so! Thank you!
Vika Malyshkoverified_filled ,
❤️🙏
An amazing report, very beautiful photos, even if they aren’t manuls.
By the way, can drones be used for this? Maybe you can see a manul from above?
Amazing report, photos, and video! The "Manulization" project gets better and more beautiful every day!
It's sooooo amazing of you guys to do that!!! And the Altai Mountain are so incredibly beautiful; absolutely gorgeous terrain! 🤩 I trust there will be many wild manuls in your future!!!