The Pallas’s cat is a small cat species that lives throughout the steppes and mountain grasslands of Asia. Sometimes referred to as ‘the grumpiest cat in the world’ because of its looks, it’s one of the least studied wild cats.
Category: Publications
Human health and snow leopards: how are they related?
Snow leopard habitats are traditionally thought to have a low risk of disease prevalence and outbreaks. In a newly published paper, Snow Leopard Trust scientists and their collaborators draw attention to the increasing risk of disease outbreaks, which, unless managed proactively, can threaten wildlife as well as people.
Pallas’s Cats of the Gobi
Graduate student and researcher from Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation Otgontamir Chimed confirms the occurrence of the Pallas’s cat in Mongolia’s largest protected area. Yet, its range has shrunk in recent decades.
Women and natural resources: how nature, gender and social divisions intersect
To conserve snow leopards and natural resources better, we must understand and identify the important roles that women can – and do – play in local societies. In a recently published paper, Snow Leopard Trust researchers examine the role of women and the nuanced intersection between gender and social divisions in the governance of irrigation water in the Spiti Valley – a critical area for snow leopard conservation.
Navigating the Ethics of Camera Trapping
A new paper authored by Snow Leopard Trust’s Charu Mishra and Koustubh Sharma discusses the ethics of camera trapping.
UPDATE: This paper recently received the Editor’s Choice from The Applied Ecologist! Congratulations to all the authors and contributors!
New Research: Perceptions and Realities of Climate Change on Herder Practices
A better understanding of semi-nomadic herders’ perceptions towards climate change can lead to more successful mitigation efforts.
Mates or Munchies – What Drives Big Cats’ Spatial Behavior?
Most big cats are territorial, with males commonly using larger home ranges than females. But what is driving the spatial behavior of these cats? A new study published in the journal Ecosphere compares spatial data from snow leopards and pumas to better understand what is governing their territorial behavior. Two factors stand out: abundance of prey and access to potential mates. However, the way they work together is not what researchers expected.
Red List status of snow leopard: Data doesn’t support the IUCN’s decision.
In a commentary published in the top international journal SCIENCE on March 9th, 2018, two leading snow leopard researchers, Dr. Charudutt Mishra of the Snow Leopard Trust, and Dr. Som Ale of the University of Illinois at Chicago, challenge the scientific merit of the data and assumptions used by the IUCN in down listing snow leopards on the Red List.
Putting a Price Tag on Nature’s Priceless Gifts
The value of nature’s goods and services that local people living in Asia’s mountains depend on is several times more than their average household income. In other words, if things such as fresh water and productive grasslands provided by the ecosystem were lost, it would spell ruin for these communities. These are the results of …
To Protect Endangered Carnivores, We Must Also Protect Livestock
A conservation catch 22: Increasing the number wild prey animals is key for healthy snow leopard populations. But it doesn’t solve the problem of livestock predation – on the contrary.