Abstract: Snow leopards live in the mountains of Central Asia, their range stretching from Afganastan to Lake Baikal in Eastern Tibet. They are endangered throughout their range, being hunted as predators of mains livestock and for their skin. Much of the snow leopards range lies in China, but not enough is known about its staus there for effective conservation. As part of a project to assess China's high altitude wildlife resources the authors conducted a survey in Xinjiang- a vast arid region of deserts and mountains. Although the snow leopard and other wildlife have declined steeply in Xinjiang in recent decades, the cta still persists and one area has the potential to become one of the best refuges for the species in its entire range. Its future in XInjiang, howevere, depends on well protected reserves, enforcement of regulations against killing the animal, and proper managemnt of the prey species.

Abstract: The Disappearance of traditional ungulate prey of the snow leopard may be contributing to its endangered status in the wild. Soviet biologists have noted that wild sheep are a primary prey of the snow leopard in the southern Russian union republic and the Central Asian union republic of the U.S.S.R. While poaching appears to have had some impact on the status of these sheep, econmic pressures may be contributing to their decrease. Evidence presented for KAzakhstan and three regions of the Russian republic demonstrates that commercial sheep and goat production appears to be growing at a very high pace in these areas, thus consumming habitat otherwise available for wild herds.