News about conservation around the world.
The third Friday in May is Endangered Species Day. It’s a day to celebrate, learn more about and get involved in the herculean efforts to protect threatened and endangered wildlife worldwide. Since we’ve had an influx of new supporters, we’d like to share more about our ever-evolving work to protect snow leopards for future generations.
Snow Leopard Trust’s citizen-ranger program in Kyrgyzstan has been crucial in combating illegal wildlife trade. Building on this success, we are expanding the program to Mongolia and Pakistan to protect even more snow leopards across their vast habitat.
When we first saw Presnel on our research cameras in 2014, she was a fluffy cub trailing her mother in the wilds of Mongolia. Unexpectedly, she turned her little head to peer into the camera lens and in that moment, walked right into our hearts. Presnel is just one of many wild snow leopards you are helping us protect.
You may have seen recent international news coverage reporting that Mongolia is experiencing some of its most extreme winter weather conditions now extending into spring. Deep snow and ice have covered grazing areas, creating catastrophic challenges affecting hundreds of thousands of people and millions of livestock.
During the ongoing Women’s History Month, we’re featuring a paper by snow leopard researchers that explores the role of women in snow leopard conservation in the high mountains of Asia.
A new paper by Snow Leopard Trust scientists shows how dispersing young snow leopards can navigate and travel long distances in flat terrain in search of territories. It also reveals what triggers them to set out and how fences and linear infrastructure can disrupt their movements.
As part of our long-term efforts to track and better understand snow leopards and their prey, we are currently following four GPS-collared cats. Since 2009, we have tracked a total of 37 snow leopards in this protected area.
It’s no secret that the BBC Studios Natural History Unit produces extraordinary wildlife programming. Their latest endeavor, Planet Earth III, is no exception. And, as always, the behind-the-scenes stories about the challenges the film crews faced are as gripping as the series itself.
In 2013, under the leadership of the then-President of the Kyrgyz Republic, we helped create the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP). Since then, the Snow Leopard Trust has continued to support the Secretariat of this intergovernmental cooperation alliance of Environment Ministers of all 12 snow leopard range countries. Recently, the incumbent President, Sadyr Zhaparov, visited snow leopard habitat with our staff and recorded a video appeal to the people of the world.
“We collared a new snow leopard yesterday. I’ve said those words many times, and it never gets old. We had just finished dinner and were enjoying the warmth of the fire when the alarm went off. We rushed to our trapping site and found ourselves in the presence of a big male cat. He explained in a very clear way what he thought of us, growling all the while until he fell asleep from the drugs.” – Senior Scientist Dr. Örjan Johansson.
