Snow Leopards
... but will share the task with his mate during its breeding season. The snow leopard can bring down prey more than two or three times its size, the native Yak. Unlike its distant neighbor the tiger and the leopard, it is generally not aggressive toward man. Human habitation comes in close range with the snow leopard during the harsh winters as the cat may take the domestic livestock. Many actions are being taken to educate the locals on the snow leopard. Due to the inaccessibility of much of the snow leopards habitat the exact number left in the wild are unknown. Some scientists estimate the numbers to be as low as 4,500-5,000. The decline in population has, in the past, been mainly due to the snow leopards much sought after fur and although the animal is protected in most areas, local hunting and trapping is still a threat. The life span of a snow leopard in the wild is 10-12 years. Along with natural disasters the snow leopard faces more serious threats brought on by humans. Some of these include poaching , loss of prey , lack of awareness, and many more. Retaliatory killing and conflict with herders is another threat to the leopard. Due to the reductions in natural prey, the snow leopards resort to killing livestock. The herders retaliate by trapping, poisoning, or shooting the leopards. This threat is rapidly becoming the most important conservation issue related to large predators. The livelihood of the local people depends on their livestock, which can make them reluctant to support the conservation of large predators like the snow leopard. Park management and law enforcement is weak and many times protected areas lack trained personnel or are poorly funded that poaching by staff is becoming common. Beginning in 1972 the snow leopard had been listed in the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Animals as Endangered and it is probable that without continuing action by many of the world’s conservation organizations they may become extinct in the wild. These animals are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which makes trafficking live cats, furs, or body parts illegal in signatory countries. A question asked by many is why save the snow leopard? Snow leopards are very important to the mountain ecosystem in which they live. They are the top predator in their ecosystem and help keep the population of wild sheep, goats and small mammals such as marmots in balance. As top predators, snow leopards are an indicator species- if there is a healthy snow leopard population; there must be an entire healthy ecosystem. There are several efforts out to protect this animal. Some of these include The Snow Leopard Stewardship Progam, Snow Leopard Survival Strategy, Corral Improvement Program, Irbis Enterprises Project, and many others. The Snow Leopard Stewardship Program is dedicated to demonstrating innovative “grass roots” measures that lead local shepherds to become better steward of the endangered snow leopard and its habitat. The goal is to conserve snow leopards by offering communities incentives for becoming the ultimate guardians of this cat, its prey and its habitat. While other organizations have offered conservation incentive to mountain communities, we know of none that have a) established clear stewardship linkages; b) concentrated on strengthening local people’s capacity for self-action form the planning stage through monitoring; c) required substantial local co-financing in cash or in-kind services; d) set clear penalties for non-compliance, and e) implemented rigorous participatory monitoring procedures to measure the program’s effectiveness. The objective is to reduce killing of livestock-raiding snow leopards by local people. This would also include reducing the loss of livestock to snow leopards by improving animal husbandry and guarding practices. A third objective is to increase household incomes by providing technical assistance, grants, and incentives for community-based activities which are: environmentally sound and socially responsible, linked to specific stewardship and biodiversity conservation commitments, and designed to maximize community “buy-in”, long term self-reliance, and ecosystem health. This program will be monitored closely and have pilot tests performed within the first five years. Dr. Rodney Jackson, Vice Chair of Snow Leopard of IUCN’s Cat Specialist Group, and former Conservation Director of the International Snow Leopard Trust, will serve as Principal Investigator and Program Manager. The Corral Improvement Project is yet another effort to save the snow leopards. The goal is to reduce the need for retribution killing of snow leopards by providing better protection of local herders’ livestock. In collaboration with the Snow Leopard Conservancy and The Mountain Institute, the International Snow Leopard Trust helped pilot a new program to better protect herders’ livestock. In collaboration with the village of Markha, India, the Trust built predator-proof corrals that protect villagers’ livestock from snow leopards and wolves. The Trust provided materials such as wire mesh and concrete, and the villagers contributed labor and local materials such as rock, sand, and gravel. By providing better protection of livestock and reducing herders’ losses, the program helps find a way for herders and snow leopards to share their habitat. In exchange for the program’s support, herders signed environmental agreements that ensure the protection of snow leopards and their wild prey. Since the completion of the corrals, no livestock have been predators. This is a major accomplishment! During the construction phase, villagers did suffer losses from a snow leopard attack. Due to ...