The Rapid Endangerment of the Snow Leopard
How Humans are Influencing the Decline of the Snow Leopard
May 25, 2009
The Snow Leopard’s territory runs through a wide swath of land, including Afghanistan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the Siberian region of Russia, Bhutan, and Nepal. The leopard’s habitat is very widespread, but also very sparsely populated. The leopard is also considered an endangered species, with only 5,000 -10,000 animals still living in the wild, and only about 500 living in captivity. The snow leopards and pastoral herders in these regions have been in conflict for a long time, because as herders intrude into the natural habitat of the snow leopard, their animal herds are attacked by the leopards. Humans retaliate by hunting the leopards, and by encouraging poachers to come and hunt in the region.
The "Ghost Cat"
The snow leopard is also called "Sabu" by the local inhabitants, which roughly translates to "Ghost Cat." They acquired this nickname because Snow Leopards are nocturnal hunters and rarely come down below the 15,000 foot level, so they were, at one time, almost never seen by humans. A research team that set out to observe the habits of the snow leopard spent over four years searching for this species and saw a total of only 18 of the elusive creatures.
Increased Human Exposure to Snow Leopard's
As farmers in this relatively poor region of the world struggle to survive, they move into the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan to allow their pastoral herds to grow larger and have more land to graze. As these herds graze, they displace natural snow leopard prey like deer and goats, and the leopards then begin to kill the pastoral livestock for food. To stop the leopards from preying on their livestock, farmers engage in retaliatory killings, and villages encourage poachers to hunt in the region because it helps to reduce the leopard population, and poachers represent a steady source of income.
Virtually all the herders who live near the snow leopard habitat are characterized by poor living conditions because they have a very low annual income, around US $400. Most of this income is derived from their pastoral nomadic lifestyles; therefore, it is unwise for the nomadic herders to do nothing about the threat which snow leopards pose to their herds.
The herders must continue to decrease the snow leopard population in order to sustain their pastoral nomadic herds, and their traditional ways of life.Humans use poisoned bait, leg traps, clubs, and guns to kill them. The retaliatory killings by farmers take place year-round, while poachers hunt the leopards typically during the winter months when the leopard moves from the mountains into the lower valleys, where winter weather conditions are not as severe.
The Importance of Conserving the Snow Leopard
Local farmers are apprehensive to encourage the conservation of the species because “the livelihood of local people depends on their livestock, which can make them reluctant to support the conservation of large predators like the snow leopard.” In these regions, farmers must be informed about the importance of saving the snow leopard, which is the principal tertiary predator of that ecosystem and a key component to maintaining harmony and balance in that ecosystem. Without this primary hunter, some species of prey could over-populate the mountain terrain, and disrupt the mountain’s natural ecosystem.
Moreover, given the incredibly low population numbers of the Snow Leopard, it is very likely that they could become extinct in our lifetime, a truly appalling scenario.
Hussain, S.: The status of the snow leopard in Pakistan and its conflict with local farmers. Oryx (2003), 37. 26-33.
Limbu, R.: Snow Leopard Could Save Mountain Biodiversity. World Tibet Network News, Kathmandu; July 28, 1999.
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