Many supporters called and wrote after reading in USA Today and TIME magazine this March a story about a hunter who captured a snow leopard in the Wakhan corridor (an important wildlife migration area that straddles the Afghanistan-Pakistan border), intending to sell the live cat to a private collector.
After the hunter was turned in to the authorities, the Snow Leopard Trust was contacted to help the U.S. military, the Afghan government, and wildlife NGOs organize the cat’s recovery and release. Sadly, these efforts were not fast enough and the snow leopard died, probably from shock.
Although working in Afghanistan right now is politically challenging, the Snow Leopard Trust continues to help advocate for stricter anti-poaching monitoring, and manages community-based conservation programs on the Pakistan side of the Wakhan corridor.
If you personally come across a suspicious situation regarding possible trade of snow leopard parts, please see our post: How Do I Report Illegal Snow Leopard Trade?
Where did the hunter come from? I do hope he is put behind bars for life.