A set of eight principles for building successful and ethical conservation partnerships with local communities in the habitat of a threatened species.
New book about snow leopard is published in English by Kazakhstan’s Snow Leopard Fund
The new book about snow leopard
is published in English
“IRBIS – The Snow Leopard”
The edition is carried out at the initiative of the Kazakhstan’s “Snow Leopard Fund” (Ust Kamenogorsk) at the financial support of UNDP/GEF – Kazakhstan within the limits of the project “Conservation and suistanable use of biodiversity in the Kazakhstan’s part of Altai-Sayan ecoregion”.
In 2009 biologists Oleg and Irina Loginov had a book about a snow leopard “The Snow Leopard. A symbol of Celestial Mountains” (on Russian) which already became a curiosity. And recently there was also a new colourful picture album about a snow leopard, only already in English. The picture album can be interesting to foreign tourists. It also a fine gift for those who goes on a visit abroad.
“The Silver Wonder”, “Spirit of Mountains” – so faithfully and admiration are spoken by people about a snow leopard. At many people irbis is sacred animal. Meanwhile, number of a kind steadily decreases because of poaching on great parts of its areal. In the middle of XX century in the Central Asia the tiger and the Asian cheetah have been completely exterminated. The similar fate expected and irbis if measures on preservation of this most beautiful silvery cat of high mountains have not been taken. In 1948 the International Union of Nature Conservation – IUCN, become by the initiator of the edition of the Red Book has been created. The snow leopard was is taken under special protection not only the IUCN Red List and regional Red Books, but also Washington Convention – CITES, and also laws on protection of fauna and criminal codes which exist in all countries where irbis lives.
Despite strengthening of measures of protection and special attention of the international organisations to a snow leopard last years, its number continues to decrease. The failure in the field of education of the various strata of society is especially great. In public consciousness the snow leopard image – “The Master of Celestial Mountains”, and a predator never attacking people, can be very attractive. But the potential of this appeal while is used very poorly. And kind protection is still insufficient – more than 90 % of habitats of a snow leopard are not covered by especially protected natural territories. But all places of snow leopard habitats in mountains, as a rule, have no intensive economic activities, therefore can quite become extensive natural parks or game reserves. Examples to that are – the Himalayan kingdom Bhutan, the country which quarter is made by national parks. There too there live snow leopards. On any animals in the country hunting is forbidden also they involve tourists who bring in the income to the country much bigger, than the industry. In Nepal and India also it is much given to irbis protection and the considerable quantity extensive NPT is created. It is necessary to follow these countries an example.
The snow leopard can help the Central Asian countries to become even more attractive to tourists, climbers and researchers of all world.
It will be promoted also by Loginov’s book-picture album about a snow leopard. From it is possible to learn all about this cat who as though unites the largest Asian states of the world: Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and some more other highlands of the Central Asia, living in high mountains along borders of these states. On its pages there are data about number of a rare animal, the area of its habitats in the world, a protection condition in the most important national parks and reserves both national parks and other most interesting details of biology and behaviour. The book is written emotionally, is entertaining and accessible to the widest audience. It can be used and as the additional manual for schoolboys and the students, and for the foreign tourists, wishing to learn more about a live symbol of “Celestial Mountains”, and in general for people all not indifferent and loving the nature. At a book writing, the big work with the literature is spent, the big material and knowledge which have laid down in its basis is saved up. The unique photos of a wild snow leopard made in the nature in Almaty area in Dzungarian Ala-Tau (Kazakhstan) by Renat Minibaev and beautiful snow leopard portraits of Raphael Kettsian from Ekaterinburg (Russia), and also water colour drawings by Victor Bakhtin, Victor Pavlushin and Oleg Loginov’s pictures have decorated a picture album and have made its unique. Irina Loginova fairy tale ”Spirits of Sacred Mountain” also is included in the edition, illustrated with drawings of the author.
Data about a picture album:
The format – 21,5 х 28 sm
Cover – the firm, laminated matte
Pages – 136,
Illustrations – 205
Circulation trial – 250 copies.
Coordinates of authors: Kazakhstan,
Phones: 8-72331-39347, +7-705-4616016,
e-mail: irbisslc@yandex.ru
From: Логинов Олег [mailto:irbisslc@yandex.kz]
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2011 11:21 AM
To: sln-members@lists.snowleopardnetwork.org
Subject: Re: SLN – SLN News: New book about snow leopard is published in English (Kazakhstan’s Snow Leopard Fund)
Hello Rana,
Thanks for dispatch of the information on a picture album and placing in a blog. We already receive letters. Except a picture album, in Novosibirsk (Russia) is published Irina Loginovoj’s fairy tale for children in Russian with drawings of known artist Victor Pavlushina. There is a transfer and into English as a part of a picture album. There is an idea to publish separately same fairy tale in English and we search for means for this purpose.
Sincerely, Oleg
Ed Fischer upcoming book on searching for snow leopards
Chasing the elusive snow leopard
Squamish resident set to share story of his 30-year search for Asian ‘phantom’
Squamish resident Ed Fischer pauses during an acclimitization hike in May of 2010. Behind Ed are some of the typically upturned stratifications of the Stok Range; this was once an ancient seabed that was pushed up in front of the Himalayas as the Indian subcontinent collided with Asia 70 million years ago.
April 8, 2011
Ben Lypka
blypka@squamishchief.com
The snow leopard is known throughout the animal kingdom as a secretive animal.
The large cat is native to the mountain ranges of South and Central Asia and lives a highly solitary life. Because of the animal’s secretive nature and ability to remain well camouflaged, human interaction has been extremely limited.
The animal’s lifestyle is part of what attracted Squamish resident Ed Fischer to the majestic beast. For close to 30 years, he made it a life goal to spot a snow leopard in its natural habitat, and he will be showing his findings to anyone interested at the Squamish Adventure Centre theatre on April 20 with his “Chasing the Phantom” slideshow.
“I read Peter Matthiessen’s book, The Snow Leopard and was really inspired by it,” he said. “So back in 1985 I sort of went on a self-discovery voyage and spent the better part of the year looking for wild snow leopards in the Ladakh area in India.”
Despite a few close calls, Fischer ultimately was unsuccessful in his goal to see a snow leopard in the wild back in 1985.
“I did see a still-steaming carcass of a Dall sheep when I was 17,000 feet up and it probably was a snow leopard’s kill, but it was nowhere to be seen,” he said. “That was the closest I ever got back then and for the next 20-year period, I was so busy with business that I had no time to go back. But recently I had some free time and decided I’m going to go back and look for the cats.”
It wasn’t until the fall of 2009 that Fischer returned to the region, but he admitted that the desire to spot a snow leopard in the wild never really left.
“I really relate to the snow leopard as an animal,” he said. “It’s really a soloist of an animal and that’s part of the reason why I decided to try and spot it all on my own. The usual way with normal tourists is you find a guide and he leads you. That’s not really my nature to do something like that.”
For the next two months, Fischer searched for the snow leopard. Typically, he would look for tracks or scat that the cats left behind and try to figure out what the animal’s next move would have been. Again, he had several close calls but seemed to be just missing the creatures.
“One day I found some fresh tracks and it appeared the animal was running away,” he said. “It got away and while I was trying to track it, down came 25 centimetres of fresh snow, covering up the tracks. It was cold, I was exhausted and my feet were swollen, so I called it a day.”
Fischer said it seemed as though the leopards were toying with him at one point during the trip.
“I remember looking at my own tracks one morning and seeing the tracks of a snow leopard inside my own boot print,” he said. “It was almost like they were mocking me.”
He returned to Squamish at the end of November 2009, still not having seen an elusive snow leopard. However, he returned the following spring, with his wife Helen Habgood.
“She’s full of spirit and adventure,” he said of his wife. “She would have gone with me before, but she’s a partner in her own business and can be very busy. I figured that she would be good to bring along because she’s very observant and is able to find things around the house all the time when I can’t.”
After a few unsuccessful weeks, the duo finally achieved their goal, spotting an entire family of snow leopards.
“When we finally did see them, we were only the third party to pass through that particular area for years,” he said. “It was totally unspoiled land and it was so ironic to see a family after everything I’ve read that they are solo animals. We talked to the locals and they told us how rare it was to see a family. We were both pretty amazed.”
Fischer is also working on a book about his travels searching for the snow leopard and is about one quarter done. He said he’s not sure when the book will be released but admitted the final product is a ways off.
The slideshow is about 90 minutes long and Fischer said that if ticket sales continue at the steady pace they’re going at, he may add a second show that evening. The first scheduled show takes place April 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Squamish Adventure Centre theatre. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased in advance at the Adventure Centre box office. As of press time only 15 remained.
For more information and a preview of Fischer’s upcoming book, visit his website at www.chasingthephantom.com.
http://www.squamishchief.com/article/20110408/SQUAMISH0501/304089936/-1/squamish/chasing-the-elusive-snow-leopard