it is run by the german nature conservancy association, nabu. the sanctuary covers 7,000 square meters. among the residents is baghira, who lost a paw in a poacher's trap. >> we have five snow leopards right now. these can't be returned to the wild. people have fed them meat by hand. they don't know how to hunt anymore and could not survive out there. >> of all the large cats, snow leopards are the most endangered species. their pelts are worth tens of thousands of euros on the black market. nabu has been in the forefront of efforts to protect populations of snow leopards. thanks to nabu, they can live safer lives than even a few years ago. in the mid-1980's there were known to be at least 1400 in kyrgyzstan. current estimates are much, much lower. >> there are about 300 snow leopards in all of kyrgyzstan. that is very few. the herders here say they rarely see any. they are very hard to find. >> 180 poachers have been caught and put out of business. still, it is not really clear how endangered snow leopards really are in the country. that's why