Snow Leopard

Conservation Efforts

• Endangered Species Act of 1973
• conserved threatened species
• WWF treats it as economically, culturally, and ecologically importance
• Local farmers become aware of the species; preventative measure for livestock
• Anti-poaching-highly valued for garment making; people live in the vicinity of Snow Leopards find it easy to kill and sell to meet basic necessities of life
• captured for private animal collections in Central Asia (white tiger)
• Illegal fur trade; needs strict enforment
• Conservation grounds created through Asia
• Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Mongolia, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve

Original-Current Range

Snow leopards are believed to have been extirpated from as much as 15% of their historic range, and though they are legally protected in the twelve countries in which they are found.

Statistics

Organizations

• World Wildlife Fund
• IUCN- International Union for the Conservation of Nature
• Snow Leopard trust
• Snow Leopard conservancy

12 countries: China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia

• Fur on their belly is 5 inches thick; yellow eyes; sensory whiskers
• Smaller than cats, weigh about 30-55 kg
• Length is 80-135 cm long
• Tail is almost the same size of their body- stability
• excellent runners, swimmers, & climbers; sometimes hide food in trees
• females are 30% smaller than males
• Gestation period: 3-3 1/2 months
• Mating season: January-mid March

Reproduction

• Gestation period: 3-3 1/2 months
• Mating Season: January- March
• winter- food is sparse, give birth in Spring
• spray protruding objects or rocks to inform males that mating season had begun
• soft moan to alert others

Snow Leopard

Causes of Endangerment

• Known for its beautiful white and simplistic coat with large black helices
• Descendent of the wild cat and panther families
• Shy creatures, barely seen out in the open; mysterious and solitary
• Diurnal; Human presence-Nocturnal
• Rarely seen out in the open- information is limited

Thanks!

• 4000-6500 individuals left; population is still declining dangerously
• HUMAN CONFLICT
• Taste for domestic animals; causes herders/ farmers to kill to protect livestock since one animal can cause economic hardship for an entire family
• traps, poisons, or rifles are used to kill usually by local herders
• Mining-dangerous chemicals and explosives are used to extract minerals; open pit mines cause severe ecological damage
• forces snow leopards and their prey to relocate in order to survive
• Due to decline in natural prey, Snow Leopards diet is now 58% livestock
• Chinese Medicine- Coveted fur & for bones, coats in high demand
• Human settlements conflict w/ historic range
• Climate change- global warming
• captured for private animal collections (white tiger)

Sources

• http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/snow_leopard/
• http://snowleopardconservancy.org/kids/text/endangered.htm
• http://www.snowleopard.org/researchers-encounter-wild-snow-leopard-cub
• http://www.defenders.org/snow-leopard/threats
• http://www.seattlefoundation.org/npos/Pages/InternationalSnowLeopardTrust.aspx
• http://rehanastormme.hubpages.com/hub/Facts-about-Snow-Leopards#
• http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/esastatus/e-vs-t.htm
• http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/esact.html
• http://www.panthera.org/species/snow-leopard
• http://www.defenders.org/snow-leopard/basic-fact
• http://www.snowleopardconservancy.org/text/how/range.htm
• http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22732/0
• http://www.kewa.org/leo.htmlhttp://www.kewa.org/leo.html
• http://snowleopardconservancy.org
• http://www.snowleopard.org
• http://www.snowleopard.org/learn/cat-facts/threats-and-protections
• http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/05/08/news/national/pml-ns-tiger-is-dead/
• http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/bishop_kayl/reproduction.htm

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Sources- Images

• http://www.snowleopard.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Life-Cycle.jpg
• http://www.snowleopard.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/habitat.jpg
• http://rehanastormme.hubpages.com/hub/Facts-about-Snow-Leopards#slide6157908
• http://www.konicaminolta.com/kids/endangered_animals/library/field/img/s-leopard_img01-l.jpg
• http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs47/f/2009/236/1/8/EgFox_Snow_Leopard_HD_Blue_Eye_by_Eg_Art.jpg
• http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_b33mTm0c2rA/TJ2oDQhZGoI/AAAAAAAAAIM/36xdNKLer0s/S1600-R/nature-snow-leopard.png
• http://snowleopardconservancy.org/kids/pix/skinnedlep.jpg
• http://blogs.wcpss.net/thefewandthewild/files/2013/02/Snow_leopard_sleeping_-_Buffalo_Zoo-1ilks32.jpg
• http://www.snowleopard.org/learn/cat-facts/physical-features

Examples of animal collections and abuse

Habitat

D i e t

• Live in the snowy mountains of Central Asia
• Harsh cold weather; thick fur
• Primarily found in the Himalayan region and Indian sucontient
• Species is spread over 12 countries: China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia
• 60% of their population is located in China
• Live in altitudes as high as 3500 meters above Sea Level
• Seek cooler altitudes during summer- 5000 m

• Common animals preyed on by the snow leopards include: gazelles, deer, wild goats, sheep
• Feed mainly on Himalayan blue sheep.
• twice a month feed large animals
• drag food into snow tunnel for safe keeping
• Kill animals 3 times their weight; thick paws
• prey on domestic animals
• Snow Leopards are on top of the food chain; no natural predators other than humans

Panthera uncia

Snow Leopard

Natasha Khan