Rustam Minnikhanov and the Honorary Ambassador of Wild Life of Pakistan, Emissary of the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystems Protection Program Saradar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari discuss importance of snow leopard population preservation

On 14 March at their meeting in the Kazan City Hall, the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and the Honorary Ambassador of Wild Life of Pakistan, Emissary of the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystems Protection Program (GSLEPP) Saradar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari discussed the importance of snow leopard population preservation.

Rustam Minnikhanov thanked the Honorary Ambassador for accepting an invitation for participation in the International Conference “Study and preservation of the Snow Leopard in the world. Joining efforts” held in Kazan these days, while Mister Saradar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari informed that a decision has already been made to transfer a female and cub snow leopard to the Moscow Zoo.

The Rais of the republic stated that the snow leopard is the totem animal of Tatarstan personifying strength, courage, pride, speed and pureness of nature and briefly told about work to be carried out by the Irbis Center for Snow Leopard Study and Preservation and the international cooperation in this sphere.

He also emphasized that at its level the republic does everything to facilitate strengthening of Russia-Pakistan relations and reminded that in 2017 he visited Lahore and Islamabad.

“Cooperation with your country in nature protection work and in ecology will become one of important spheres for us,” Rustam Minnikhanov concluded.

The regional Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Aleksandr Shadrikov, the Chairman of the general meeting of the Irbis Association Ali Uzdenov, the Vice Rector of the Kazan Federal University in Scientific Work Dmitriy Tayurskiy and other officials also took part in the meeting.