‘The most majestic of all mountain creatures is the snow leopard’

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, 2016

SURVIVAL OF THE SNOW LEOPARD?

POWERFUL and captivating, but incredibly vulnerable to poaching and loss of prey, the elegant snow leopard is one of the world’s most elusive cats. It’s usually found in high, rugged mountain landscapes, but there could be as few as 4,000 left in the wild. These are their main threats . . .

LOSS OF PREY: Over-grazing by domestic livestock is damaging to mountain grasslands and leading to a decline in the snow leopard’s natural prey of wild sheep and goats.

POACHING: Hunted for their prized skins as status symbols, while their bones are used in traditional Asian medicine.

CLIMATE CHANGE: The high Himalayas, which is prime snow leopard habitat, are warming at three times the global average. HUMAN/ SNOW LEOPARD CONFLICT: One of the major problems is caused by snow leopards preying on herders’ livestock — which is around 10 times more common than wild prey in some areas.