A video of four rarely-seen snow leopards clambering up snowy cliffs in Northern Pakistan has surfaced online. And the cooperationist couldn’t be happier on this sighting. A ray of hope in conversation efforts!
About the Sighting of the Snow Leopards
Sakhawat Ali, a photography enthusiast from the remote village of Hushe captured this rare moment on March 13. According to Sakhawat, this moment came after 2 weeks of tracking their pawprints. It is said that he first spotted the mother and then started noting additional pawprints.
He later “got lucky” sighting the animals together on a nearby cliff. He then scampered out with his camera to film them, from a distance of 200 meters.
The Rarity of Snow Leopards
Snow leopards are currently listed as “vulnerable” and “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their global population is estimated at 4,000 to 6,500. Their habitat spreads over 12 nations and they only live in the high alpine areas of the Himalayas. This includes China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia and Mongolia. Even in these nations, the sightings are extremely rare.
Read More: World Wildlife Day: Top 10 Endangered Species in Pakistan
These big cats are known locally as the “ghost of the mountains,” because of how easily they camouflage in their natural habitat of the Karakoram Mountain range in Pakistan.
Environmental anthropologist Shafqat Hussain says the rocky terrain in the north of Pakistan is perhaps the “best snow leopard habitat in the world.”
The Possible Threats to Snow Leopards
These big cats face ongoing threats from habitat loss, climate change and poaching.
According to the United Nation’s Environment Programme “human activities and growing livestock herds in some areas have led to the degradation of pastureland and wildlife habitats,” affecting the snow leopards food supplies.
Other threats according to the UNEP include the fragmentation of the animal’s habitat due to massive new infrastructure projects in addition to climate change. This aggravates these existing threats.
Moreover, retaliatory killings remains a concern. This is because herders occasionally target snow leopards in response to livestock losses.
The Conservation Efforts
Pakistani conservation groups are working to address these challenges through compensation programmes and educational campaigns.
The Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF), working with international organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has also introduced livestock vaccination programmes and compensation funds to mitigate economic losses for herders affected by snow leopard predation.
It is no doubt that Pakistan has made significant strides in snow leopard conservation. This is a big “win” for these conversational efforts and we wish to only hear more such news in the future.
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