Snow Leopards Are Still Hunted Down

Many snow leopards are killed every year.

Recent reports reveal that many snow leopards are killed every year because some people see these big cats as a threat to livestock.

These enigmatic animals are known as ‘mountain ghost’ for their white black-spotted pelt and can be found in the mountains of Central Asia, whereas the population may vary depending on the area.

According to wildlife officials, there might less than 4,000 snow leopards left in the wild, although the IUCN and the Word Wildlife Fund have joined their efforts to save this endangered species. Even so, scientists from Panthera, a protection group for big cats, claim that the current snow leopard population is around 4,500 to 10,000 wild specimens.

Around 221 and 450 snow leopards have been hunted down and killed every year since 2008, according to the experts’ statistics. However, this is just an approximation as the numbers might be higher because monitoring illegal trade is a challenging process.

This species lives in 12 distinct countries, but over 90 percent of the poaching occurs in Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, Mongolia, and China. What makes it worse is that herders kill more than fifty percent of these snow leopards because they attack livestock killing cattle and sheep.

These big cats are very strong as a single specimen is capable of taking down up to twenty goats or sheep. These herders live in communities that depend only on livestock, so wild predators represent a threat to their survival.

Poachers kill around 21 percent of the snow leopards for their bones, claws, teeth, and pelts, which they illegally sell on the black market. However, there is also the chance that herders kill snow leopards to protect their livestock and then, end up selling the dead animal for a small profit.

These statistics point out to the fact that many efforts must be made to protect and preserve this endangered species, and the first step would be to reduce the conflicts between humans and leopards.

Also, herders should be educated to avoid any encounters with a snow leopard as much as possible. Thanks to this initiative, herders would receive money from the government to make up for any lost animals.

In addition, illegal trading must be prevented. Although they are endangered, snow leopards can recover if mountain communities and wildlife officials will work together.

Image Source: 1Zoom

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Karen Jackson

Karen Jackson has always been passionate about technology. All the way through high-school she immersed herself in computers and web-design. Her ambitious nature helped her become a pro in Adobe Photoshop only by watching online videos and working with the program herself. This is also the program that she mostly uses in the creation of websites at her work-place. Technological innovation and gadgets that push the boundaries of what we are comfortable with have always fascinated her, so expect to see some weird gadget reviews coming from her.