Snow Leopard - Lord of Mountain

SNOW LEOPARD-LORD OF MOUNTAINS

Snow leopards are solitary nocturnal cats which roam the snow clad heights of the Indian himalayas,Pakistan, Tibet,China and other central Asian countries between 3,000 and 5,400 meters above sea level.

Body of leopards is covered with brown patches ringed with black,and a black streak runs down the back.Tail is heavy with fur and the bottom of the paws are covered with fur which is used for protection against snow and cold.China is believed to have the largest number of snow leopards.The climate is harsh,cold and dry, the mountain slopes are sparsely vegetated with grasses and small shrubs.Infact,the habitat of snow leopards is extremely tough and inhospitable.Snow leopard is very solitary mammals and very little is known about its life.Snow leopards have a home range about 100 square miles due to the shortage of prey due to inhospitable terrains.The snow leopard's prey include Bharal, the blue sheep, wild boar, gazelles, hares, markhor, tahr, marmots They stalk their prey and usually spring from a distance of 20 to50 feet.Snow leopards consume amounts of plant material, particularly during the mating season in order to obtain specific nutrients.they are solitary except during the breeding season of January-May when they made pairs.Rocky caverns and crevices are their homes.A female gives birth to one to four young in the spring in a rocky shelter.Cubs live with the mother in their first winter.

Snow leopard's habitat is along international borders, some of them disputed between two countries like India-Pakistan or India-China.This disputed situation protects the cats because sensitive border areas are often closed to all public access. The exact number of animals in the wild is not known but an estimated 3,500 to 7,000 wild snow leopards roam the mountains of central Asia today. The snow leopard is listed on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species as "Endangered.Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora trafficking in snow leopards or their fur or body parts is illegal.Snow leopards are found in these nations namely-Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVATION-

Human activities like grazing and hunting are the major threats for the survival of snow leopards..Snow leopards are hunted illegally for their pelts, which are sought after especially in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia for coats and other garments. Bones of snow leopards and other body parts are also in demand for use in traditional Asian medicine.Many of the poachers are local people from snow leopard areas.Snow leopards are also killed for their attack on the livestocks due to sshortage of prey base by the locl people.Humans pushing further into mountainous with livestock, the snow eopard's habitat is degraded and fragmented.In India ,ladakh part of J& K, spiti of Himachal pradesh,Sikkim are the habitats of snow leopards which are reported in the hemis national park and Great himalayan national park,Pin valley national park in Kullu and Spiti respectively.Unless awareness and respect for this mighty cat is not created for stopping the use of skin for decorative purposes,bones for medicinal purposes and unless rampant overgrazing of livestock in their habitat is not reduced future of this species is no very secured.