What do we want Etsy headquarters to do? As revealed by a few simple searches on the Etsy marketplace for terms such as “pre-ban”, “real leopard”, “real ivory” or “rhino horn”, there are currently several hundred products made with parts of endangered animals listed on the site – the vast majority of them labeled as “vintage”, “pre-ban” …
News & Stories
Tell Etsy.com to stop treating endangered animals as products!
[Update, 5/31: Tell Etsy to ban all listings containing parts of endangered animals from their site, regardless of legal status! As we’ve recently learned from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services*, it is not only illegal to sell any products made from endangered animals, including “vintage” items, to a buyer in another state, it’s also …
Welcome back, Devekh
Breaking news from our base camp in South Gobi! Field scientist Örjan Johansson called in earlier this week to report that he had successfully fitted a new GPS collar on Devekh, a large male snow leopard we had previously been following for a few months back in 2010, before his original collar dropped off.
Research Camera Gems
Throughout the snow leopard range, Trust researchers like Rishi Sharma and Li Juan are tracking snow leopard populations with research cameras. They hike up steep slopes and scramble down rocky crevices to find the perfect spots to set up their cameras – and then they make the same trip again a few months later to …
Spring Forward: New Leadership, New Products for Kyrgyz Conservation Program
The Kyrgyz branch of our handicraft-for-conservation program, Snow Leopard Enterprises, is up and running again this spring! Three years after the last shipment, a new selection of beautiful and unique products has arrived in Seattle. At the same time, the community Snow Leopard Enterprises is based in has elected a new local coordinator, Raiysa Sultangazievna, …
New Cubs Need New Supporters
Late spring is snow leopard cub season, as female cats retreat to well-hidden den sites to give birth! Each cub that is born in the wild is a beacon of hope for the survival of this endangered cat – but as they are faced with various threats, these cubs need our help in order to …
7 Essential Facts About Snow Leopard Cubs
Curious about Cubs? With cub season coming up, here are 7 things you need to know about snow leopard babies!
Group Get-Together in the Gobi
Research and observation point towards snow leopards being solitary creatures. But in March, three of the cats we’re tracking with GPS collars seem to have staged a little get-together that lasted over three days! First, Ariun, one of the males in our study, and Agnes, a female cat, seem to have overlapped in a very …
Introducing Quantity Discounts
Sometimes, a few just won’t do! Each year, our long-time business partner Dynafit– a German based company specializing in outdoor gear for ambitious ski mountaineers – sponsors an event dedicated to snow leopards. This spring, the company called on ski enthusiasts from around the world to strap on their skis for Snow Leopard Day. In …
Snow Leopards Win!
Thanks to your passionate support for snow leopards, we’ve been able to secure a major grant for conservation! Our partner Dynafit had nominated us for a $15,000 grant for India’s snow leopards from the European Outdoor Conservation Association. In March 2013, a public voting was held to determine which of the nominated projects would …