Month: February 2013

Snow Leopard In Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary

January 2013: Presenting the first-ever evidence of the snow leopard Panthera unica in Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh, a recently-published paper has recommended further studies to help generate baseline information for conservation of this endangered species.

The snow leopard in Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary was sighted dragging its kill (a young ibex) by researchers – Neeraj Mahar and Sajid Idrisi – during a Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) survey in 2010 to help the Forest Department prepare an inventory of the area’s wildlife. It was recorded at an altitude of 3,376 m.

“While this opportunistic sighting by our team established snow leopard presence in Kugti, it raised a number of questions. Is Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary and nearby protected areas a snow leopard habitat? Or do they follow the prey to lower altitudes during winter, possibly from Lahaul or other nearby areas? This can only be verified with further focused studies,” said Dr. Rahul Kaul, Chief Ecologist, WTI, one of the authors of the paper.

Very little specific information exists on the distribution of snow leopards in India. Rough estimates put the population at 400-600 along the Himalayan region in India, and about 4080-6590 across the world (12 countries where it is found). Five Indian states, three in the western Himalayan region – Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and two in the north-eastern region – Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, are known to host snow leopards in the country.

“Snow leopards inhabit the non-forested zone above the tree line – around 3,200 metres in the western Himalayas and around 4,200 metres in the eastern Himalayas, going over the Greater Himalayan crest into the Trans Himalayan region,” explained Dr. Yash Veer Bhatnagar of the Snow Leopard Trust and Nature Conservation Foundation, adding that the common leopards are ‘replaced’ by snow leopards in these areas.

The snow leopard is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is classified as ‘Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List. Yet, as other carnivores in India, it is threatened due to conflicts with people, retaliatory attacks, prey depletion due to competition with livestock and hunting, poaching, and unplanned development in their habitat.

Source: http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/conservation/news/9171-snow-leopard-in-kugti-wildlife-sanctuary

Snow Leopard populations in decline due to illegal trade

The trading of big cat pelts is nothing new, but recent demand for snow leopard pelts and taxidermy mounts has added a new commodity to the illegal trade in wildlife products, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Traditionally, the market for large cat products has centered around tiger bones and parts for traditional Chinese medicine. Snow leopards (Uncia uncia), however, are a novel trend in the illegal wildlife trade arena and skins and taxidermy mounts are the most recent fad in luxury home décor.

The EIA, a UK-based non-profit organization whose mission is to investigate crimes to the environment, are concerned that attention to the plight of snow leopards is compromised because of the global conservation focus on tigers. While tiger poaching is a rampant threat, the EIA estimates that for every tiger poached, approximately six leopards are taken, including snow leopards.

Experts have estimated that there are between 4,000 and 6,000 snow leopards left in the wild, making them one of Asia’s most endangered mammals. This estimate was calculated several years ago, however, and it is believed that the number today is significantly lower.

Results of EIA investigations reveal that the majority of snow leopard pelts are being harvested in China, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Beginning in 2005, open trade in large cat products has declined and most of the illegal transactions in large cat trading is done in secret, making it difficult to monitor. Investigators from the EIA have documented hundreds of sales in illegal cat parts, but this detection success may be marginal compared to the actual trade.

“The skins uncovered by our investigators are just the tip of the iceberg,” says Debbie Banks, the head of EIA’s Tiger Campaign.

International Customs agents approximate the detected amount of illegal trade to be merely a tenth of the actual rate, meaning over 1,000 snow leopards have been killed and traded in the past dozen years or approximately a fifth of the estimated wild population of snow leopards on the planet. This means more than just a decline in leopard populations.

“Snow leopards are valuable indicators of environmental health,” says Tariq Aziz, leader the World Wildlife Fund’s Living Himalayas Initiative. “…their declining numbers is a sign that the places they live are also threatened.”

While novel trends in the luxury home décor market have been driving a recent increase in the trading of snow leopard skins, populations of snow leopards have been in jeopardy for quite some time. Unusual for most endangered species, habitat degradation is not the main issue for declining populations of snow leopards. These cold-hardy cats inhabit frigid, rugged, high-elevation environments that are inhospitable to most human development. In addition to poaching, the two gravest threats to wild snow leopards are a decline in their native prey and direct killing by ranchers and herders.

In recent years, snow leopards have been under threat as increased grazing has eliminated the cat’s natural prey. Facing less food, some snow leopards have turned to prey on domestic animals, which makes them targets for livestock owners. While many snow leopard killings are not motivated for sale in the illegal wildlife trade, inevitably, that is where they end up. A herder who kills a leopard eliminates a threat to his flock and may also earn a payout for his kill. The typical price paid for a snow leopard pelt varies by region and purpose: some pelts are sold locally for a mere few dollars while others, sold to tourists and foreigners, go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Snow leopards are elusive; they are stealthy, well-camouflaged, and not commonly encountered in the wild. While their geographic distribution encompasses a wide area, their distribution is patchy and they are not common throughout their range. Snow leopards are a handsome cat with a thick, white, rosette-studded coat, which makes their pelts such a luxury item.

According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), “range states,” or countries where snow leopards are distributed, are obligated to report on the status of illegal trade operations in endangered species. Currently, not a single country of the 11 has submitted a report. There is an urgent need for information regarding illegal trade in snow leopard parts. The EIA states that snow leopard conservators (like CITES) are in need of more specific information, including: “…the number of leopards poached and entering the trade…number of cases currently being investigated…sentences posed against successful convictions, and trans-boundary issues affecting trade.”

Without knowing how many animals are actually being trafficked and where exactly they are coming from, advocates like EIA can do little to help. While the future for snow leopards seems bleak, there is reason to be optimistic. Conservation organizations are spearheading projects and programs to curb the killing. In Mongolia the International Snow Leopard Trust has organized a community-based handicraft program to offer a market for local handmade goods in exchange for a commitment to conserve snow leopards. In India the Snow Leopard Conservancy has partnered with locals to capitalize on eco-tourism opportunities focused on snow leopard conservation and traditional cultural experiences for tourists. Other partners, like the Wildlife Conservation Society, are focusing on livestock protection and husbandry improvements to reduce the accessibility of stock to leopards and have piloted the first livestock predation insurance program in Afghanistan.

Read more at http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0103-santana-snow-leopards.html#qwSzjyiiVBJBsTvR.99

Unlikely conservationist helping to save Nepal’s snow leopards


‘Yak insurance’ plan saving Nepal’s snow leopard

KATHMANDU: The remorse felt by Himali Chungda Sherpa after he killed three snow leopard cubs in retaliation for his lost cattle inspired him to set up a scheme to prevent other herders from doing the same.

Sherpa lost his cattle near Ghunsa village at the base of Mount Kangchenjunga on the Nepal-India border, later finding their remains in a cave beside three sleeping snow leopard cubs.

The Nepalese herder put the cubs in a sack and threw them into the river, finding their bodies the next day.

“From that night onwards the mother snow leopard started crying from the mountain for her cubs, and my cattle were crying for the loss of their calves.”

“I realised how big a sin I had committed and promised myself that I would never do such a thing in the future.”

Four years ago Sherpa, 48, founded with other locals an insurance plan for livestock that conservationists say is deterring herders from killing snow leopards that attack their animals.

In doing so the scheme has given hope for the endangered cat, whose numbers across the mountains of 12 countries in south and central Asia are thought to have declined by 20 percent over the past 16 years.

Under the scheme, herders pay in 55 rupees a year for each of their hairy yaks, the vital pack animal that is also kept for milk and meat, and are paid 2,500 rupees for any animal killed by the endangered cat.

“The (Himalayan) communities have been able to pay out compensation for more than 200 animals since the scheme started,” WWF Nepal conservation director Ghana Gurung told reporters at a presentation in the capital Kathmandu.

“The community members are the ones that monitor this, they are the ones who do the patrolling and they are the ones who verify the kills.”

The global snow leopard population is estimated at just 4,080-6,590 adults according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists the animal as “endangered” on its red list of threatened species.

Experts believe just 300 to 500 adults survive in Nepal, and few can claim ever to have seen the secretive, solitary “mountain ghost”, which lives 5,000 to 6,000 metres above sea level.

Despite its name, it is not a close relative of the leopard and has much more in common genetically with the tiger, though it is thought to have a placid temperament.

“There has never been a case of a snow leopard attacking a human,” Gurung said of the animal, revered for its thick grey patterned pelt.

It does, however, have a taste for sheep, goats and other livestock essential for the livelihoods of farmers and is often killed by humans either as a preventative measure or in revenge for the deaths of their animals.

WWF Nepal revealed details of its insurance scheme in filmed interviews shown at the recent Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival.

Sherpa now campaigns to convince Himalayan farmers that killing snow leopards is wrong, but has been frequently told they need to kill the animal to protect their livelihoods.

“I swear if I can catch a snow leopard. They rob our animals and our source of livelihood,” herder Chokyab Bhuttia told the WWF.

The insurance plan, which also covers sheep and goats, was set up with 1.2 million rupees donated by the University of Zurich.

Since the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Snow Leopard Insurance plan was launched four years ago no snow leopard is thought to have been killed in retaliation for preying on livestock since.

Locals, who count the number of cattle attacked as well as tracks, faecal pellets and scratches in the ground, believe snow leopard numbers have significantly increased.

“There is now an awareness among people that the snow leopard is an endangered animal and we have to protect it. The insurance policy has made people more tolerant to the loss of their livestock,” Sherpa said.

He believes protecting the snow leopard is vital to boosting the economy in an area which gets just a few hundred trekkers a year, compared with 74,000 in Annapurna.

“If a tourist sees a snow leopard and takes a picture of it there will be publicity of our region and more tourists will come,” Sherpa said.

Evidence of the scheme’s benefits will remain anecdotal until the publication next year of the results of a wide-ranging camera trapping survey.

But locals are optimistic about the animal’s future, according to Tsheten Dandu Sherpa, chairman of the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council.

“In this area there was never any poaching of snow leopards for trade. They were killed only as a retaliatory act by livestock owners,” he said.

“Now with this insurance policy there will definitely be protection of the snow leopard and its numbers will increase.”

-AFP/fl

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/featurenews/view/1244527/1/.html, http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\12\28\story_28-12-2012_pg14_7

Jumolhari Snow Leopard Conservation Program Launched

The Bhutan Foundation recently announced the Jumolhari Snow Leopard Conservation Program, which engages two communities located in snow leopard habitat, to conserve snow leopards in the area of the Jumolhari trek. This program is supported by the Snow Leopard Conservancy, Jigme Dorji National Park, the Nature Recreation and Ecotourism Division, and the Bhutan Foundation.

Bhutan Foundation announcement is as follows:

An initiative of Yutoed and Yaksa communities

“The Jumolhari trek is one of the most popular trekking routes in Bhutan and passes through prime snow leopard and blue sheep habitat. Numerous camera trap photos, signs, and DNA sampling from the region has established the region as one of the best snow leopard habitats in Bhutan. The two communities of Soe Yutoed and Soe Yaksa lie along the Jumolhari trek. Yutoed has 28 households and Yaksa 18. The residents are primarily yak herders as the area is mostly above treeline. While yak predation is prevalent in the area, the herders have generally been tolerant of some level of predation all along. However, public attitudes and perception towards snow leopards are fast changing.

When community members begin to see real, tangible benefits from snow leopard conservation, they are more likely to support it. If a conservation program has buy-in and ownership of the local residents, it is more likely to be sustainable in the long run. These are the foundations on which the Jumolhari Snow Leopard Conservation Program is built.

The Jumolhari Snow Leopard Conservation is a community initiative supported by the Jigme Dorji National Park, the Nature Recreation and Ecotourism Division, the Snow Leopard Conservancy and the Bhutan Foundation. It aims to guide tangible benefits of snow leopard conservation to the local residents so that the snow leopard is seen as an asset rather than a liability, and hence something to be treasured. It seeks to use the snow leopard as the focus for holistic development of the communities through the following:

* Reduction of GID disease in yak (one of the highest causes of yak mortality)
* Offsetting livestock predation through livestock insurance
* Income generation through homestays
* Income generation through boutique handicraft
* Snow leopard and prey monitoring by community members and park
* Instituting snow leopard festival as main tourism event of the year
* Using Soe Yutoed School for increasing awareness on snow leopard conservation

For further information on this exciting new program please contact us at info@bhutanfound.org”

Sources: http://bhutanfound.org, http://snowleopardconservancy.org/2013/01/21/bhutan/

Four-year ecosystem conservation project announced for Asia’s mountainous regions

USAID partners with the Snow Leopard Trust to launch a new four-year ecosystem conservation project. Details from the USAID blog are as follows:

‘”USAID’s missions around the world are raising awareness of the interconnectedness between human and wildlife welfare in developing countries.

Here in Kyrgyzstan, we announced on Saturday the launch of a new four-year project focused on preserving the ecosystems of Asia’s mountainous regions, benefiting its people and environment. Entitled “Conservation and Adaptation in Asia’s High Mountain Landscapes and Communities,” the project will be implemented in close partnership with our partners: the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Snow Leopard Trust. It will operate not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Nepal and Pakistan, and build alliances across all countries with snow leopards.

Officials from 12 countries attended a three-day conference on the snow leopard in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on December 1-3, 2012. Photo Credit: USAID

The snow leopard is a focus of this project for three major reasons. First, these endangered animals face significant threats to their habitats in the context of a changing climate and increased human activities. Second, animals like the snow leopard have great popular appeal, drawing attention to the challenge of conservation and providing a rallying point to benefit entire ecosystems, including the humans who depend on these ecosystems for their livelihoods. Finally, snow leopards are indicative of the health and vitality of entire ecosystems across their range. They are an integral part of the ecosystems in which they live, and the well-being of countless other species and human communities depends on the health of those ecosystems.

The primary goal of the new USAID project is to stimulate greater understanding and action on the environment, by helping conserve this iconic and endangered species, as well as by connecting snow leopard conservation to a broader set of environmental, economic and social issues with consequences for Asia’s future sustainability, including local livelihoods, water and food security, and climate change adaptation. In Kyrgyzstan, the project will include a snow leopard population survey considering recent and predicted changes in key habitats, support to anti-poaching teams, and engagement in species conservation activities through conservation education and training with local communities.

It was not a coincidence that the project was announced in Kyrgyzstan. The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Almaz Atambayev, and other senior Kyrgyz officials have shown great initiative in bringing this important topic to the international level, as demonstrated by the three-day conference on the snow leopard which ended on December 3, attended by representatives from 12 countries and NGOs from across the world. We hope this is just the beginning of our joint work with local and international partners on this challenging task to bring positive impact on both wildlife and the mountain communities of Asia.”‘

Panthera Camera Traps Catch Snow Leopards In Tajikistan

‘Footage of snow leopard cubs in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan was caught on camera trap surveys.

As many as 300 of the 3,500 to 7,000 wild snow leopards live in the Tajik Pamirs. This area is considered to be a critical link between the southern and northern regions of the snow leopard’s range, serving as a vital genetic corridor for the species.

Panthera recently released the footage obtained from a camera trap set up in the area of a mother snow leopard and her cubs.

The organization has carried out two camera trap surveys in the Pamir Mountains, including one in Tajikistan’s Jartygumbez Istyk River region.

Panthera said that while reviewing photos from the survey’s 40 camera traps, the team uncovered new images of a snow leopard mother and her two cubs.

“In true holiday form, the playful cubs are shown licking and pawing icicles, and attempting to climb a rock,” the team wrote in a press statement. “Along with this entertaining footage, also included are stunning images of the snow leopard mother and one of her cubs inspecting the camera trap, their quizzical faces pressed up against the camera lens.”

The footage helps to indicate that a healthy, breeding snow leopard population exists in the Jartygumbez Istyk River region of Tajikistan.

When combining the data with evidence gathered in 2011 of snow leopard cubs in the Zorkul region of Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains, it adds evidence to a thriving population in the habitat.

Panthera said its scientists are reviewing all of the camera traps photos from the surveys to assess the size of the region’s snow leopard population, and the significance of the Pamirs as a part of the snow leopard’s corridor.

The team has collected snow leopard scat samples for diet analysis, and are conducting surveys to evaluate the abundance of the snow leopard prey species. Panthera also said its team is assessing the management and impact of local trophy hunting concessions and nature reserves.

Scientists at the organization have identified poaching and unsustainable hunting of snow leopard prey, including ibex and Marco polo sheep, as a major threat to Tajikistan’s snow leopards.

The staff is working with local villagers and a trophy “prey” hunting expert to analyze the infrastructure and training needed to establish a hunting program of prey species. This program, which begins in 2013, will help better regulate the current unsustainable hunting of ibex and Marco polo sheep to conserve Tajikistan’s snow leopards.

“Ultimately, if successful, Panthera hopes to use this community-based prey hunting program model to implement similar operations in other Central Asian countries,” according to the statement.’

Source: Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112746395/snow-leopards-panthera-video-footage-of-cubs-playing-121112/

See link above for video.

Snow leopard skin seized by police in Dehradun

Thanks to SLN member Belinda Wright for this information:

“A snow leopard skin was seized by police in Dehradun on Wednesday morning, 5 December 2012. The Special Task Force of the Uttarahand Police arrested two people.”

Zeenews.india.com elaborates:

Poacher arrested with snow leopard’s skin
“Dehradun: A suspected poacher was arrested on Wednesday by the special task force for being found in possession of the skin of highly-endangered snow leopard, estimated to be over Rs 50 lakh in street market.

The accused Ravindra Singh Bhandari has been booked under the Wild Life Protection Act, said SSP (in charge) of STF Senthil A Krishnaraj.

Bhandari was arrested from his Gangotri Vihar home late last night, Krishnaraj said, adding that the accused was going to smuggle the big cat’s skin and tail to Delhi.

The snow leopard comes under the highly-endangered category and only 500 of them are left all over India, he said adding that the skin recovered from Bhandari’s possession is estimated to be over Rs 50 lakh in street market.”

Source: http://zeenews.india.com/news/uttarakhand/poacher-arrested-with-snow-leopard-s-skin_814936.html