Frequently Asked Questions – Snow Leopard

The threats to snow leopards include:

Poaching: Snow leopards have long been killed for their beautiful fur, bones and other body parts - and the illegal trade in snow leopard parts appears to have doubled in the past decade. Almost 1000 snow leopards are believed to be killed in the past decade to feed illegal markets.

Retaliatory killing: With a decline in their prey base, snow leopards are being forced to rely on domestic livestock for food, which in turn leads angry herders to sometimes kill snow leopards in retaliation. Both people and snow leopards suffer in such a situation.

Shrinking habitat: Snow leopards need vast areas to thrive. But expanding human and livestock populations are rapidly encroaching on their habitat. New roads and mines are also fragmenting their remaining range and climate change is predicted to result in higher fragmentation and further reduction in the snow leopard range.

There are as few as 4,000 snow leopards left in the wild, and only around 500 in India.

Snow leopards can be found across 12 countries in Central Asia. They are Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

It is extremely difficult to spot a snow leopard in the wild due to their shy and elusive nature and because of the remote and rugged terrain in which they live. Statistically, the best chances of seeing a snow leopard are in Hemis National Park, India.

There is no documented evidence or account of a snow leopard attacking a human.

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