Demand the End to Snow Leopard Poaching Now!!!

Snow leopards have traditionally been hunted and poached for their thick coat, which at one time was made into luxurious coats. Their bones are also valued in Chinese medicine. Snow leopards are often killed by poachers with bamboo spears poisoned with the deadly monkshood plant. The spears are placed under ledges where the impale leopards leaping off the ledge to follow a trail. The poison is so lethal even a superficial wound can be fatal. Poaching of snow leopards fortunately is decreasing. The number of snow leopards in the Himalayas foothills has increased to 500 since anti-poaching efforts began there. Poaching still goes on. In 2006 and 2007, authorities seized 104 furs of rare animals, including 27 snow leopard pelts, and furs from clouded leopards, lynx and bears.

            In order to stop Poachers we must provide a safe area for snow leopard. An area where poachers are not welcome. When domestic animals begin to graze in these areas, wild prey populations are drastically reduced. The reduced number of ibex, blue sheep and argali that make up the main part of a snow leopard’s diet are then forced to travel even farther to find the food they need. With the wildlife in Central Asia spread out across the vast landscape, it is evident that our conservation focus needs to encompass the full amount of space that these animals use. While creating small protected areas is important, we make every effort to go beyond this preliminary stage and conduct our conservation efforts at the landscape level. To do this, we engage the people living in these regions to develop community conservation programs that encompass the landscape and help both human and wildlife alike. For example, the Snow Leopard Trust partnered with village leaders and local government representatives in the Spiti Valley of India to discuss 'Project Snow Leopard' in 2011. Initiated by our team of scientists, ‘Project Snow Leopard’ is the first ever national survival strategy for snow leopards and it takes a landscape level approach that encompasses the Spiti Valley itself. This successful program actively encourage government officials and local leaders to think beyond small protected areas and protect the landscape.

 

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