Abstract: The paper summarises the alleged conflict between livestock herders and wild predators in the trans-Himalayan region of Zanskar, NW India. The snow leopard (Uncia uncia) is seriously threatened by this conflict, with at least thirteen killed in the last seven years in 3 of the study villages alone. Results of snow leopard sign surveys are described, revealing significant increases since the last survey (1986) consistent with alleged increases in livestock depredation. Attitudes toward wildlife and opinions on population trends are assessed. Depredation hotspots are identified and the cost of livestock predation is
discussed in terms of recent developments and social changes in the Zanskar region.
Illegal hunting and retaliatory killing are described, and essential programs and
conservation measures are suggested. Even at this early stage, there appears scope for raising rural incomes and lifting the burden of co-existence with snow leopard and other unique mountain fauna.

Abstract: Research concerning movement patterns of wild animals has been advancing since GPS technology arrived. But studying the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is still difficult because of the harsh territory it inhabits in Central Asia. This study took place in south Gobi, Mongolia, and aimed to estimate the time spent at kills and the maximum distance away from kills between visits. Snow leopards were monitored with GPS collars that took a location every five or seven hours. Potential kill sites were established by identifying clusters of GPS-locations in ArcGIS and visited in the field for confirmation. ArcGIS was used to calculate the distance between cluster and GPS-locations. I used two buffer zones (100 m and 500 m radius) to define the time snow leopards spent at kills. It was found that snow leopard age and prey category affected time spent at kills and also that snow leopard sex together with prey category affected the maximum distance moved away from kills between visits. Season had no significant effect on either time at kills or distance moved away from kills between visits. Snow leopards spent on average 3.2 days at their kills in the 100 m buffer zone and 3.5 days at their kills in the 500 m buffer zone. Subadults stayed longer at kills than adults and animals of both age categories spent longer time on larger prey. The mean maximum distance moved away from kills between visits was 179 m in the 100 m buffer zone and 252 m in the 500 m buffer zone. Female snow leopards moved further away from kills between visits than male snow leopards. Both the number of days spent on kills and maximum distance moved away from kills between visits increased when kills consisted of more than one animal. This study has provided some basic information on snow leopard behaviors around their kills but also highlights the need to monitor more snow leopards before more solid conclusions can be drawn as this study was based on based on a relatively small sample.

Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I
of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards
globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here,
we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that
snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to
emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai
Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for
about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there.

Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I
of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards
globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here,
we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that
snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to
emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai
Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for
about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there.

Abstract: Livestock predation is an important cause of endangerment of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) across
its range. Yet, detailed information on individual and spatio-temporal variation in predation patterns of
snow leopards and their kill rates of livestock and wild ungulates are lacking.
We collared 19 snow leopards in the Tost Mountains, Mongolia, and searched clusters of GPS positions
to identify prey remains and estimate kill rate and prey choice.
Snow leopards killed, on average, one ungulate every 8 days, which included more wild prey (73%) than
livestock (27%), despite livestock abundance being at least one order of magnitude higher. Predation on
herded livestock occurred mainly on stragglers and in rugged areas where animals are out of sight of herders.
The two wild ungulates, ibex (Capra ibex) and argali (Ovis ammon), were killed in proportion to their
relative abundance. Predation patterns changed with spatial (wild ungulates) and seasonal (livestock)
changes in prey abundance. Adult male snow leopards killed larger prey and 2–6 times more livestock
compared to females and young males. Kill rates were considerably higher than previous scat-based estimates, and kill rates of females were higher than kill rates of males. We suggest that (i) snow leopards
prey largely on wild ungulates and kill livestock opportunistically, (ii) retaliatory killing by livestock herders
is likely to cause greater mortality of adult male snow leopards compared to females and young
males, and (iii) total off-take of prey by a snow leopard population is likely to be much higher than previous
estimates suggest.