Snow leopard

Threats

Snow leopards have a large home range and are sparsely distributed across 12 countries in Central Asia. They are endangered in all of them. Although counting this elusive species is difficult, we suspect that populations have declined by as much as 20% in the past two decades.

Conflict with humans, as a result of snow leopards attacking livestock (sheep, goats, horses and yak calves), poses an immediate threat. These animals now comprise as much as 58% of the snow leopard's diet because illegal hunting has robbed them of what they normally eat – like the Argali sheep prized by local villagers for their meat and medicinal uses. These sheep have all but disappeared from north-eastern China, southern Siberia and parts of Mongolia, so leopards have been forced to switch diets.

Increased grazing and human settlements (including the associated roads and mines) have encroached on the habitat of the snow leopard, causing population losses and fragmentation.

In recent years, climate change has emerged as a major threat to snow leopards and their fragile mountain habitat – between the tree line and snow line. As the Earth's temperatures rise, trees can survive at higher altitudes, thereby over-running the leopard's preferred habitats. A WWF study (Forrest et al. 2012) predicts about 30% of snow leopard habitat in the Himalaya may be lost due to a shifting tree line and consequent shrinking of the alpine zone.