Snow Leopards

 Welcome to my blog on the snow leopard. I am here to inform you on why this species is on the decline and how you might be able to help them.

The snow leopard has the scientific name of panthera unica. They have evolved to be able to live in some of the harshest conditions. Snow leopards have powerful builds which allow them to easily scale the mountains they reside in. Their thick spotted coat also allows them to easily blend into this terrain making them almost invisible. Because of this the snow leopard is sometimes referred to as the "ghost of the mountains". Currently the snow leopard population is sitting at around 5,000.

The snow leopard habitat is high up in the mountains within Asia. Their habitat also spans across multiple countries in the region. These countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Since snow leopards live in such a rugged landscape there is still much of their habitat yet to be explored. 

In the ecosystem the snow leopard is an apex predator so they sit at the top of the food chain. They play a key role in keeping other animal populations in check and growing out of control within the region. They are important for keeping the overall health of their ecosystem.


Some of the reasons that snow leopards are declining is due to human-wildlife conflict and poaching. Snow leopards sometimes come into conflict with local farmers since they will prey on livestock. The biggest cause of decline however is poaching. Snow leopards have long been hunted for their beautiful fur coat. Not only that but their bones and other body parts are also being used in some medicine.

If we were to lose snow leopards then there will be no predator to control the other animal populations in the region. For example snow leopards preyed on sheep and ibexes so if they were no longer preyed on their population will grow out of control. With these species overpopulated there will not be enough food for them all. They will overgraze and eventually run out of food which will then lead to their species dying out as well.

the World Wide Fund for Nature is currently taking steps towards preserving the snow leopard population. They are currently working with the local peoples to try and reduce the amount of retaliatory killings. They have supported local communities in helping them build predator proof pens for their livestock. WWF's goal is to have the people and wildlife live and prosper together.

For geographical tools there was a study done in Mongolia that made use of GIS modeling and GPS tracking to get a better understanding of snow leopards and their habitat. Some of the things they were able to find out as a result of this study was the size of snow leopards home range and migrations. I believe we could also use these tools to not only study but help prevent the issues snow leopards currently face.

If you wish to help out snow leopards yourself here are a few ways you can!

  • You can donate and do your own symbolic snow leopard adoption.
  • You can volunteer if you wish for a more direct approach to helping snow leopards.
  • Starting your own fundraiser is a good way to help and get others involved.
  • To help with poaching you can avoid any products that make use of snow leopard fur or other body parts.
  • The simplest thing to do is to talk about the current issues snow leopards face and help spread awareness.

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