Just another day in the life of a wildlife biologist!

Manul Working Group (MWG) partners recently deployed six camera traps in Kazakhstan’s Altyn Emel National Park, an effort to help monitor the manul in the country’s southeastern region. Altyn Emel rangers joined the fieldwork, guiding specialists through the park and assisting with logistics. These are the first camera traps in Altyn Emel placed specifically to detect this feline—one of 14 mammal species in the park listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book.

MWG specialists determined the placement of each device based on evidence such as scat and other habitat clues. The cameras were installed in rock crevices and other cavities, which the manul uses daily and relies on for breeding. If the camera traps do detect the species, the resulting data will shed light on population size, distribution, and threats, helping to refine conservation strategies across the region.

A significant portion of the manul’s global range lies in Central Asia, and Kazakhstan is home to a relatively abundant population. Yet large knowledge gaps remain about the cat’s ecology, in turn, limiting the development of effective protection measures. In the days leading up to the camera trap deployment, MWG partners met in Almaty to discuss monitoring tools, data gathering, analysis, and exchange; funding opportunities, and long-term conservation strategies— vital steps toward safeguarding the manul.