Snow leopards inhabit the high mountains of Central Asia, with an estimated population of 4,080-6,590 across 12 countries. Threats to snow leopards include poaching, retribution killing by herders, habitat and prey loss, and insufficient conservation. To effectively monitor snow leopards and the impact of conservation efforts, surveys use methods such as sign transects to determine relative abundance, and camera trapping and DNA analysis of scat and hair to determine absolute abundance and population changes over time. Information from such monitoring is important for snow leopard conservation goals.
2. • Facts about snow
leopards &
conservation goals
• Threats to snow
leopards
• Types of surveys to
monitor snow
leopards
3. Snow leopards ( Panthera uncia ) occur in the high mountains of
Central Asia. Their range covers 2 million square km. The
population is an estimated 4080 – 6590 snow leopards across 12
countries
AREA OF HABITAT
COUNTRY (km²) ESTIMATED POPULATION
Afghanistan 80.000 100 - 200
Bhutan 10.000 100
China 400.000 2.000 - 2.500
India 95.000 200 - 600
Mongolia 130.000 1.000
Nepal 30.000 350 - 500
Pakistan 80.000 250 - 420
Russia 131.000 50 - 150
Kazakhstan 71.000 180 - 200
Kyrgyzstan 126.000 800 - 1.400
Tajikistan 78.000 120 -300 (650)
Uzbekistan 14.000 10 -50
Smirnov et al. (1990 ) estimated about 80 snow
leopards in southern Siberia. These southern
Siberian snow leopards seem to be isolated from
those of Central Asia. Former estimations of the
mean density per 100 km² were about 0.75 to 1.5
4. Estimated snow leopard population by country.
The elusive nature of the species makes it difficult to
obtain an accurate population count.
5. The IUCN classified the snow leopard as
„endangered species“
( high risk of extinction in the wild)
To actually survey the status of this elusive
animal is a big challenge as
„the snow leopard inhabits the world‘s highest
and perhaps most forbidding terrain, with difficult
on the ground access and additionally plagued by
small sample size.“
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
6. OUR MAIN GOAL:
To ensure and promote the snow leopard‘s long-
term conservation:
E) a system of protected areas
G) elimination wild herbivore competition through
increasing livestock herds
C) mitigation of the conflict with herders as a
result of depredation
Evaluation of WWF‘s SL conservation activities
7. Snow leopard appearance:
dense and wully fur ♂ 30 % larger than ♀ thick furry tail for
with white yellowish
grey pattern balancing and keeping
surrounded by dark warm when resting
spots or rosettes
35 – 55 kg
up to 60 cm tall
1.8 – 2.3 m long (head to
tip of tail )
large paws to
walk on snow
short forelimbs, long hind
limbs (for steep terrain) enlarged nasal
Powerful lungs to get cavity to warm
enough oxygen at high cold breathing air
altitude
8. Snow leopard appearance:
SL can’t roar, ( new studies show that the ability to roar is due to
morphological features, especially of the larynx, which are absent in
the snow leopard.)
Snow leopard vocalisations: hisses, chuffing, mews, growls, and
wailing.
Unusually among cats, their eyes are pale
green or gray in colour.
can leap up to 6x its body height
9. Sexually mature 2- 3 years
Mate in late winter, marked by a noticeable increase in marking and calling.
Gestation period 90–100 days, cubs are born between April -June
Give birth in a rocky den or crevice lined with fur shed from mother’s underside.
1- 5 (2.2) cubs with black spots (turn into rosettes when they grow up) weaned by
10 weeks
Cubs leave den at 2- 4 month
Remain with mother until 18–22 months.
(then disperse over considerable distances, even crossing wide expanses of flat
terrain to seek out new hunting grounds to reduce inbreeding)
10. Snow leopard behaviour
• Most active at dusk and dawn
• Solitary (pairing up during mating
season, mother and cubs stay together)
• Snow leopards can‘t roar but hiss, growl,
moan and they can prusten through their
nostrils
• Mark their territory: scrape, spray urine,
leave faeces as markers ( along
topographic features ), claw raking
„very little is known about the
behaviour, movements, home range,
social organisation and reproduction
in the wild“ (Sunquist & Sunquist
2002)
13. Threats to snow leopards
• Poaching:
snow leopards are poached for their valuable pelt, bones
and body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese
medicine
(but fur trade has declined due to international regulations)
14. • Retribution killing from herders
5. Habitat and prey loss
4. Insufficient
conservation due to
lack of awareness,
policy and money
17. To really judge the effectiveness of conservation
investments, it is essential to monitor the target species,
prey animal population and the quality of their habitat.
1990 the „Snow Leopard Trust“ developed a standardised field survey method
„SLIMS“
(snow leopard information management system)
a computerised database on SL populations, protected areas and key habitat
attributes
18. Types of surveys to monitor snow
leopards
What kind of information do we want
to gather?
• SL distribution pattern
• SL behaviour
• SL home range
• SL social organisation
• SL reproduction
• SL movements
19. 3 methods to survey SL population
• Presence/absence
• Relative abundance
due to „sign transects“
• Absolute abundance
with camera trapping
and genotyping (scat/ hair)
20. • Presence/absence
(detection/non detection)
•Establishes the presence or absence of SL and prey (indirect
signs)
•Identifies habitat types
•Undertakes a basic assessment of conservation needs
•Wide ranging investigations
i.e. presence/absence is used to find out if a given area (national park,…) is
populated by SL at all
It is based on searching for indirect signs and interviewing locals
Determing the presence of snow leopards
Establishing the absence of snow leopards
21. b) Relative abundance
based on „sign transect“
• Is used to monitor SL abundance in a particular area
• Provides detailed information about SL, its prey and habitat
• Gains data about status, relative abundance, distribution of SL
• Intensive, quantitative, time-consuming investigations
• SL signs are detected along transects (within representative
sections of an area)
• Concurrently recording signs of ungulates (primary prey species)
23. c) Absolute abundance
camera trapping and DNA
genotyping (scat/hair)
• Detects and distinguishes individuals from each other
• Assesses population‘s genetic variability
• Evaluates what proportion of an area is occupied
• Determines abundance in different areas or within
a given area over time
• Evaluates the impacts of prey or habitat change on SL
presence, relative abundance or density
24. What we will do:
•Walk transects and record:
signs of SL
habitat
signs of prey
•Install and check camera traps
•Interview locals
•Collect scat
