SAKAR JHA
The Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) also known as the gray ghosts of the mountains is one of the world’s largest cat species living in the rugged mountains of central and southern Asia. Marked as one of the deadliest predators in cold areas, it resides at the top of the food chain in the mountain ecosystem and is also considered as an indicator of this ecosystem’s health.
The elusive behavior of this magnificent felid along with the difficult terrain in the mountains makes it very difficult for its direct sighting. They are so rarely seen that the photographic documentation of snow leopards was done only in 1971 A.D. Before that, the scientist only knew this species through paintings drawn by local artists of the high Himalayas. In Nepal, it is found in the northern chain of the Himalayan frontier along the Tibetan border, with the largest populations in Dolpa, Mugu, Manang, and Mustang districts (Bajimaya, 2001).
According to a recent study published in the journal ‘Banko Jankari’, it was found that the density of snow leopards in the Manaslu Conservation Area was very low compared to the other areas of their habitat range. However, when the density of their prey base (Blue Sheep and Himalayan tahr) was assessed it was found that an ample amount of prey was available in the area and is enough to support a larger number of snow leopards. Since the food is not the problem, it can be assumed that the habitat of snow leopard is degraded in the area but the lack of research does not allow much evidence to support this assumption.
The people of the region strongly depend on livestock rearing as agricultural yield is very poor and cannot support their families all year round. Although 80% of the people have a positive perception towards the presence of snow leopard in the region, their daily activities such as intensive livestock grazing may be causing severe damage of their habitat.
The hard fact is that the problem of habitat loss is not only limited in Manaslu conservation area but throughout the distribution range of snow leopards with other threats such as prey loss and persecution also present.
Because of its rapid population decline, it has been listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)’s Red List of endangered species and included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1975. To support snow leopard conservation, the government of Nepal has fully protected it under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973. Along with this, the government has a compensation scheme for the people who lost their livestock due to snow leopard attack.
Despite all of these efforts, it is getting increasingly difficult to reinstate the population of the ‘mountain’s gray ghost’. This begs the question–where are we lacking?–to save them. We need to come up with effective management plans and policies sooner better than later to ensure that a stable population of snow leopards keep on living for the future. The involvement of local people is crucial for this to happen.
The local people need to be sensitized about the importance of snow leopards and how our activities affect them. If the government and the individual organizations join their hands together then surely we can save these beautiful creatures from extinction.
Sakar Jha is an undergraduate B.Sc. forestry student currently studying at Institute of Forestry, Pokhara.
