SNOW LEOPARD HUNTED TO EDGE OF EXTINCTION

This story was published in the Hanford Courant and called to our attention by

Professor Richard Benfield:

October 2006- Afghanistan has already seen some of its cultural treasures, such as the

Buddhas of Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban. And it has watched as

ancient artifacts have been looted from the country since the U.S.

invasion in 2001.

Now, it's in danger of seeing an endangered species -- the snow leopard

-- hunted into extinction.

High in the Pamir Mountains in northeastern Afghanistan, men like

Attaullah hunt down the animal. He'll not only sell off its valuable

pelt but also the cat's paws, bones and internal organs, which are

highly prized for use in traditional Chinese medicines.

While no one is exactly sure how many of the creatures remain in the

wild, organizations such as the Snow Leopard Conservancy estimate that

between 4,500 and 7,500 remain in 12 countries in Central Asia,

including Afghanistan.

Some of the cats are thought to have been killed by U.S. bombs during

the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. But it's hunters like Ataullah, who

like many Afghans uses only one name, who are the cat's main threat

today.

“Going after a snow leopard is the ultimate for any hunter,'' said

Ataullah, 44. “Sometimes we won't find one for three months. It depends

on the luck of the individual.''

A ban on hunting the animal imposed by President Hamed Karzai appears to

have had little effect so far.

“If the hunting of certain rare animals like the snow leopard ...

continues, they will rapidly be wiped out,'' warned Dost Mohammad Amin,

the deputy head of the Afghan Environment Protection Department.

It's easy to understand why hunters like Ataullah go after their prey.

He said he expects to get $100 for the cat's body parts and an

additional $900 for its pelt. For that kind of money, hunters are

prepared to invest time, money and effort in securing a kill.

“Sometimes we'll wait a month to go after a good specimen, because

valuable animals are scarce and it's very hard to hunt them,'' Attaullah

said. “We start out in July when the roads become clear of snow. We

have special hunting rifles that we've bought in Pakistan and we wait

for the animal we want.''

Attaullah contends that the amount of money he can earn with just one

catch makes it worth the wait. “I caught a snow leopard in the Pamirs

this summer and I'll earn $1,000,'' he said. “I'd never make that

amount by doing anything else.''

When not stalking snow leopards, Attaullah said he goes after Marco Polo

sheep, another endangered species, to put food on his table.

During the 1970s, Marco Polo sheep -- the largest in the world -- were a

favorite trophy of hunters who traveled from all around the world to bag

the animal and display its massive horns on their walls at home.

Today, Attaullah said the sheep will provide his family with several

delicious meals and $200 in cash for its hide.

Attaulah scoffs at the notion of a ban on hunting endangered species.

“This hunting has been going on for thousands of years. If the

population of these animals were in decline, there wouldn't be any

left,'' he insisted. ``It is just an excuse by powerful men who want to

stop us hunting so that they can keep the (game animals) for

themselves.''

Because both species live in largely unpopulated areas, far beyond the

reach of either the central or regional governments, there's not much

officials have been able to do so far to halt the poaching.

There is some hope, however, of protecting the endangered species. Amin

of the environmental ministry said that Afghanistan, Tajikistan and

China met over the summer to discuss the creation of a multinational

game reserve, called the Pamir International Peace Park, to help save

vulnerable species.

“A conference in Dushanbe held in mid-July decided that all mountain

regions where rare animals live in these three countries will be

declared a Peace Park, and no one will be allowed to enter it,'' Amin

said.

Attaullah doesn't think much of the plan.

“These animals are wild and free,'' he said. ``One day they're in one

place; the next day they're somewhere else. If they feel confined,

they'll become depressed and may leave the area altogether, or they may

pine and die, which is much worse than being hunted.''