Our Kyrgyz partner community of Enilchek lost a conservation bonus they would have been due for 2015 because a young man from the village was seen on a camera trap photo guiding poachers into nearby the locally protected area. Now, the young man’s family has agreed to compensate their fellow community members for the lost bonus payment – and our team has started installing camera traps to catch more poachers in the act.
Seven wildlife crime law enforcement officials in Kyrgyzstan have received a Citizen Ranger Wildlife Award for their courage in the fight against illegal hunting in the country’s snow leopard habitat in 2016. They were publicly honored in a ceremony in Bishkek on World Wildlife Day.
The community of Hemiya joins our livestock insurance program, and agrees to set aside a grazing-free reserve for wildlife.
When a wild snow leopard died of old age near the hamlet of Kibber, the community came together to pay their respects to the cat. Our local field coordinator, Kalzang Gurmet, shares this heart-warming story from his home village.
How a women-led handicraft enterprise in Spiti is helping in the conservation of the elusive Snow Leopard.
Our team in India’s Spiti Valley was treated to an extraordinary sighting of the elusive Ghost of the Mountain on a recent field visit. For Research Associate Ajay Bijoor, it was the first encounter with the cat he’s dedicated his life and career to. Read his account of an unforgettable day – and watch the amazing video footage the team managed to capture!
18 years ago, we established our first grazing-free village reserve for wild snow leopard prey in partnership with the community of Kibber, India. Today, the area’s population of bharal, a wild sheep that’s among the snow leopard’s preferred prey species, is about four times higher than it was before the reserve was set up. Nine more of these reserves have since been started elsewhere in India. It’s been an important conservation initiative, but also an educational experience.
Herders, farmers and wildlife rangers living in Asia’s mountainous snow leopard habitat are our most important partners in the fight against poaching and killing of these endangered cats.
It’s a privilege and an enormous responsibility to work for the conservation of the endangered snow leopard. We’re thankful to share this planet with such an amazing creature – and for your support!
The Snow Leopard Trust’s new book, ‘The PARTNERS Principles for Community-Based Conservation’, authored by Charudutt Mishra, is launched by President Atambayev of the Kyrgyz Republic. It’s a handbook for successfully engaging local communities in wildlife conservation.
