Snow leopards: Numbers decline due to 'retaliation'

[Viking 63]

please save these animals !!

 

[Blue Marlin]

The governments of the countries where the snow Leopard is to be found should pass the harshest of laws for poaching. Deploy dedicated teams who can protect these beautiful cats, and at the same time steer them clear of human settlements. Farmers should also be compensated for live stock loss. The message needs to be passed on from community to community, that we will always have goats, sheep and other livestock, but the Snow Leopard is one of a kind. Pakistan has had recent successes with such projects.

It is the animal I have the most affection for, I love animals in general.

see it from the other side though. they live in close proximity to farmers with livestock which are being killed by the leopards. its their livelihood being eaten literally eaten away bit by bit. and how can they provide for their families if the only method of survival is being eaten away.
farmers should be moved away from close proximity to nature reserves or even ares with large sightings of snow leopards.

i dont think iv'e said this before but they are one of my favourite animals

 

[Nilgiri]

farmers should be moved away from close proximity to nature reserves or even ares with large sightings of snow leopards.

Thats easier said than done given population pressures.

I feel there should be a compensation fund (both private and public sources can contribute to it) and education/information about this given to the farmers/herders in the relevant areas.....stressing on how there will always be farmers and herd animals in past, present and future.....but snow leopards have no future if this goes on unabated.,,,so don't kill the leopard but rather log the evidence and file a claim for compensation.

Such a thing has worked to some degree in many parts of Africa regarding their predators I have read.

There then also has to be better action taken against poachers. The locals in the area being roped in in the earlier fund idea can definitely help in this too given they can be the eyes and ears if they have vested interest in their environment.

Overall the area also needs more geo-sensitive eco-tourism I feel to get all this funding and local interest in wildlife preservation really off the ground in a big way sustainably. Again the African examples come to mind.

 

[Blue Marlin]

Thats easier said than done given population pressures.

I feel there should be a compensation fund (both private and public sources can contribute to it) and education/information about this given to the farmers/herders in the relevant areas.....stressing on how there will always be farmers and herd animals in past, present and future.....but snow leopards have no future if this goes on unabated.,,,so don't kill the leopard but rather log the evidence and file a claim for compensation.

Such a thing has worked to some degree in many parts of Africa regarding their predators I have read.

There then also has to be better action taken against poachers. The locals in the area being roped in in the earlier fund idea can definitely help in this too given they can be the eyes and ears if they have vested interest in their environment.

Overall the area also needs more geo-sensitive eco-tourism I feel to get all this funding and local interest in wildlife preservation really off the ground in a big way sustainably. Again the African examples come to mind.

farmers dont care if the leopards die off. end of the day they are seen as pests to them like how rats and mice are pest to us. and are poached for their fur and their body parts for "medicinal" purposes. the chinese are the worst. they dont care at all. they only care about pandas.

 

[Nilgiri]

farmers dont care if the leopards die off.

Hence their livelihoods have to be correlated with the success of the snow leopards....through use of fines (when they retaliate) and compensation (when they don't and instead approach the authorities with evidence).

This must be the system till more eco-tourism based around the snow leopard and general environment is built up long term to provide more funding for their conservation.

As for what the Chinese do, they are only one country of many that host snow leopards. So even if they dont care so much about it, at least the other countries can take good strong measures for it.

What simply cannot be done is moving farmers away en masse from snow leopard habitats. That will be an economic nightmare, plus it also creates a need for more policing and enforcement especially as poachers have a free hand given they will be less noticed by the locals (given they have been moved away). This type of model is not advisable for fiscally pressured countries.

 

[Signalian]

Sorry mate, will remember next time

You better tag me otherwise i will tag you in irrelevant posts that will make you bonkers

I carry a deep sympathy in my heart for three animals who dwell in vicinity of Pakistan.

1. Snow Leopard
2. Blind Dolphin
3. Maar Khor

 

[GreenFalcon]

The governments of the countries where the snow Leopard is to be found should pass the harshest of laws for poaching. Deploy dedicated teams who can protect these beautiful cats, and at the same time steer them clear of human settlements. Farmers should also be compensated for live stock loss. The message needs to be passed on from community to community, that we will always have goats, sheep and other livestock, but the Snow Leopard is one of a kind. Pakistan has had recent successes with such projects.

It is the animal I have the most affection for, I love animals in general.

I think we all know your love for this particular animal, its been your avatar for years now ....I too have a lot of love for animals, but the Feline family in particular is very dear to me.
I totally agree with you about having the harshest laws that protect this rare beauty. I think Pakistan should take the initiative and gather all the countries in which this cat is found, and work together towards a strategy which helps protect the snow leopards in the region.

 

[艹艹艹]

 

[Zibago]

Snow leopards: Numbers decline due to 'retaliation'

Human wildlife conflict has been responsible for the greater number of snow leopards poached in recent years

Hundreds of snow leopards are being killed by poachers every year across the high mountain ranges of Asia, according to a new report.

It's estimated there are just 4,000 of these elegant but elusive creatures now surviving in the wild.

Around four a week are being poached say experts, with most killed by local people in revenge for livestock losses.

The report highlights concerns that the illegal trade in snow leopard skins is moving online to evade the law.

Living at altitude
The highly camouflaged snow leopard is found across 12 countries that sweep around the Himalayan and Tibetan plateaus. These include China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan as well as Mongolia, Tajikistan and Russia.

The animals can survive in the cold thanks to their thick hairy coats and furry feet

The animals normally live at altitudes between 1,000 and 5,400 metres above sea level. Insulated against the cold by thick hair and fur covered feet, these nomadic leopards prey upon blue sheep and mountain ibex and other smaller creatures.

Given that they can kill animals three times their weight, their ability to hunt domestic sheep and cattle brings them into difficulties with farmers across their ranges.

According to this new study between 221 and 450 snow leopards have been poached every year since 2008. The authors say that while that number could be substantially higher, the main cause is human-wildlife conflict.

"We think that what most observations, seizure records and expert opinion shows is that the majority is still happening because of retaliatory killing," said James Compton from Traffic.

The teeth, claws and bones of the snow leopard are in demand as well as their skins

"One of the major interventions to stop that is better protection for livestock, in some of these very remote areas where you have nomad communities and herds of livestock, because that's where the friction takes place."

Over 90% of the reported poaching occurred in just five countries, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan. The report also suggests that only 21% of snow leopards were poached specifically for the illegal trade - but there seem to be many expedient attempts to cash in on the value of the skins and bones of these animals when they are killed.

The powerful camouflage of the snow leopard's coat makes them hard to see in snowy, mountainous locations

"The snow leopard doesn't turn up that often in markets, what the report authors have concluded is that it's a bit opportunistic, if a snow leopard is killed and the parts or the pelt is saleable it's almost like getting your own back for the livestock you've lost," said James Compton.

One of the worries is the rise of clandestine sales on social media and e-commerce. As well as skins and furs there is a market online for claws and teeth, which are advertised as having medicinal properties.

This snow leopard was killed by a villager in Tajikistan after it attacked sheep and goats

With a third of the snow leopard's range falling along international borders that have seen considerable conflict in recent years, the report calls for greater cross-border co-operation, especially on law enforcement. At present just a quarter of known cases of poaching are investigated.

The study also calls for greater incentives for local communities to protect these iconic animals.

"Even if there is reduced demand for snow leopard skins, the killing will continue unless we all work together to drastically reduce human-wildlife conflict and ensure that mountain communities can co-exist with snow leopards," said Rishi Sharma, from WWF who is a co-author of the report.

"Compensation schemes and innovative predator-proof corrals are making a difference but we urgently need to expand these to benefit communities - and snow leopards - across Asia's high mountains."

Positive steps for the snow leopard
While there is increasing pressure on snow leopards from humans and a changing climate, there have been some successful attempts to reverse these trends.

In Kyrgyzstan, an initiative involving the government and conservationists has seen a former hunting concession in Shamshy turned into a wildlife sanctuary. The growth in the numbers of ibex has seen a number of snow leopards re-enter the area, as evidenced by photographs.

In the Shamshy region of Kyrgyzstan snow leopards have been caught on camera showing that conservation is making a difference

"The first camera trapped images of these elusive big cats to come from the area are a powerful reminder that, if we work together we can secure key wildlife habitats so that species like the snow leopard are given the levels of protection needed to survive," said Sally Case from the David Shepherd Foundation, who are working with the Kyrgyz government and the Snow Leopard Trust to develop the Shamshy sanctuary.

While the area is too small to be able to host a sizeable snow leopard population, it could serve as the core of a larger habitat in years to come.

"We are thrilled to see that the snow leopard is already in Shamshy," said Musaev Almaz, from the Kyrgyz government's department of rational use of natural resources.

"This cat is an important part of our national culture and heritage, we are committed to securing its future."

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37718226

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I feel so crest-fallen seeing such a rare, beautiful and magnifcent creature being poached and killed like this.

I hope the relevant countries come together in the relevant fora for cooperating in their conservation and protection.

@waz @WAJsal @django @The Sandman @Moonlight @Arsalan @HttpError @PARIKRAMA @anant_s
@AndrewJin @Levina @Vergennes @nair @Bilal9 @Oscar @Slav Defence @Taygibay @Zibago
@Joe Shearer @Kashmiri Pandit @Chinese Bamboo @Gibbs @Godman @Blue Marlin @Two

I think govt needs to implement a sort of compensation program for affected villagers so that instead of killing this animal people just report ot and govt officials then could just relocate it instead off killing it
We need to be a little realistic here villagers will kill a threat to their source of income we need a system that also gives them an icentive to not do that

 

[The Sandman]

How someone can kill them man wtf is wrong with us humans

 

[Signalian]

How someone can kill them man wtf is wrong with us humans

i cant seem to comment on your profile.

 

[SBUS-CXK]

Humanity. Cold and ruthless. Nature protects mankind. But mankind destroys nature. Perhaps one day. . . Mankind will be nature "retaliation"

 

[GreenFalcon]

@waz @Nilgiri @Sarge its a bit off topic but thought you guys might be interested, check out this Korean Film called :"Daeho" or The Tiger in english...its about the last tiger in Korea and its 1 Tiger against an Army, its a really nice film...... its on Netflix

 

[Nilgiri]

@waz @Nilgiri @Sarge its a bit off topic but thought you guys might be interested, check out this Korean Film called :"Daeho" or The Tiger in english...its about the last tiger in Korea and its 1 Tiger against an Army, its a really nice film...... its on Netflix

Thanks, looks like a good watch. Sort of reminds me of the movie the ghost and the darkness.

I love Korean films. I suppose this takes place during the Japanese occupation (judging from the uniforms)?

You ever watch Taegukgi and Oldboy?

 

[GreenFalcon]

Thanks, looks like a good watch. Sort of reminds me of the movie the ghost and the darkness.

I love Korean films. I suppose this takes place during the Japanese occupation (judging from the uniforms)?

You ever watch Taegukgi and Oldboy?

Yes it takes place during the Japanese occupation and its actually the Japs who were getting the tigers killed, this movie gets very very emotional and spiritual in the second half....and no I haven't watched either one of those, I wanted to watch Taegukgi a little while back and then completely forgot about it but thanks for the reminder, I'll put it on now