As a big cat native to the icy trans-Himalayan ranges, the snow leopard is an elusive and intriguing species. Uncia uncia is a graceful golden-eyed animal with thick fur, padded paws that help it move noiselessly on rocky slopes, and a gloriously long tail that provides balance on the tricky terrain.
Afghan Leopards Threatened: After surviving decades of warfare, snow leopards in Afghanistan now face a new threat: foreigners involved in rebuilding the country. Military bases and tourist bazaars present a new market for pelts to be sold as souvenirs. Foreigners are willing to pay prices high enough to encourage impoverished Afghans to break the 2002 hunting ban protecting the leopards. The US
Till a few years ago, whenever the people of the picturesque Kibber village in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti valley discovered that their cows and yaks were killed by the snow leopard, they would try to poison or trap the elusive cat.
Fresh pictures and pugmarks from the Jigme Dorji national park (JDNP) show that royal Bengal tigers in Bhutan are being found at altitudes never seen before. In fact, authorities say that the tigers are going so high that they are overlapping the habitat of the elusive snow leopard.
The document on Project Snow Leopard launched by MoEF recently. It stresses on the landscape approach to wildlife conservation in the Himalayan high altitudes and is based on principles of robust science and community involvement in conservation.
The illegal trade in poached skins between India, Nepal and China is the most significant immediate threat to the continued existence of the tiger in the wild. While the importance of the problem has been recognized and plenty of information is already available, the lucrative illegal trade continues.
Livestock depredation by the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is an increasingly contentious issue in Himalayan villages, especially in or near protected areas. Mass attacks in which as many as 100 sheep and goats are killed in a single incident inevitably result in retaliation by local villagers.
Predation by large carnivores on livestock and their retaliatory persecution by pastoralists is a worldwide conservation concern. Relatively poor understanding of the ecological and social underpinnings of this human-wildlife conflict hampers effective conflict management programs.
A trip was recently organised in Bhutan as a part of a workshop on Snow Leopard and High Altitude Survey Techniques. According to the result of the two- week old field trip, the snow leopard
