In former days, the snow leopards were quite common in the high mountains of Asia. In Kyrgyzstan there once lived one of the biggest snow leopard population in the world. In the 1970ies and 80ies, the catching and export of wild animals was officially organized by the state zoo authorities of the Soviet Union. Later, poaching blossomed, because people wanted to earn money with the animals’ furs and bones. Thus, the number of snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan was reduced from 1300 to hardly 250. German and Kyrgyzstan nature protectors want to stop this development. With the help of photo-traps they want to discover more about these big cats. Other than their traces there is nothing to see of this species. How can one rescue a phantom?