It was February 2024. I was in the high Himalayas. In the distance, I watched a well-choreographed drama playing out as two snow leopards stalked each other on the winter snow. With a considered stance, one crouched low, its every sense alert. The second cat, barely concealed behind a small rock, watched the other’s every move. Then, in perfect synchrony, they launched into a mutual ambush, leaping in the air with their paws extended, attacking each other in joyful sibling play.
Check out the blogs you loved most in 2024! It’s amazing to see which stories and conservation projects really touched your hearts. Our snow leopard family keeps growing, so we thought we’d highlight the year’s biggest hits – perfect for newcomers or if you happened to miss them the first time. Please keep those comments coming – we love hearing what you think!
Dr. Kulbhushansingh (Kullu) Suryawanshi, Director of our India Program based at the Nature Conservation Foundation, saw his first snow leopard fifteen years ago while standing on the roof of a house in Kibber village. Temperatures had dropped well below freezing, and everything the eye could see was covered in snow.
Test your knowledge about the threats snow leopards face and spread the word to help support our conservation efforts to protect the endangered ghost of the mountains. Answers will be revealed when you complete the quiz. You can retake the quiz as many times as you’d like!
Decades after Snow Leopard Trust Founder Helen Freeman’s work at Woodland Park Zoo inspired her commitment to protecting this iconic species, we carry her legacy forward by ensuring a future for snow leopards in the wild, while also collaborating with zoos around the world.
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.
Thank you to all who took part in our week of action to celebrate International Snow Leopard Day last October. Since then, nearly 14,000 of you signed a petition asking leaders to protect snow leopards by prioritizing climate adaptation programs across their habitat. This weekend, we will share your calls to action during the 13th annual Steering Committee Meeting of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Our colleague, Deepshikha Sharma, from Snow Leopard Trust’s India Program based at the Nature Conservation Foundation, has been working to strengthen the connections between people and snow leopards for many years. Thanks to a Conservation Nation Fellowship, made possible with the support of Catmosphere.org, she is currently leading a project to develop the first team of local women champions conducting science-based snow leopard conservation in India.
We love hearing from you! Many of you write to tell us which stories resonate and which conservation programs inspire you. Since we have so many new members of our snow leopard family, we thought we’d revisit some of your favorite 2023 blog posts.
The cutest quiz you’ll ever take – how much do you know about snow leopard cubs?
