WildFact
›
Information Section
›
Terrestrial Wild Animals
›
Wild Cats
›
Leopard
Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
|
Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
|
Photo and information credits: Vincent Munier - Photographer
Tibet, Kunlun mountains. One of my greatest moments in the wild nature… « On the 16th of October, I wake up at 6:30 am in my tent. At 7:15, I can see the first light. I hide behind a rock to try and find again the 2 snow leopards I saw in the evening, in the distance. Strong emotion: in my binoculars, I can see them both, sitting a few hundreds of meters away from me, watching me… then, they quickly ignore me to focus on a group of blue sheep below. I spend the whole day watching them hunting… » Now I’m tired, thinner after 3 weeks on the field, but so happy. vm  *This image is copyright of its original author
Status and conservation of the snow leopard Panthera uncia in the Gouli Region, Kunlun Mountains, China Xu et al., 2008
Abstract: "The elusive snow leopard Panthera uncia is a rare and little studied species in China. Over 1 March–15 May 2006 we conducted a survey for the snow leopard in the Gouli Region, East Burhanbuda Mountain, Kunlun Mountains, Qinghai Province, China, in an area of c. 300 km2 at altitudes of 4,000–4,700 m. We surveyed 29 linear transects with a total length of c. 440 km, and located a total of 72 traces (pug marks, scrapes and urine marks) of snow leopard along four of the transects. We obtained eight photographs of snow leopard from four of six camera traps. We also recorded 1,369 blue sheep, 156 Tibetan gazelles, 47 argali, 37 red deer and one male white-lipped deer. We evaluated human attitudes towards snow leopard by interviewing the heads of 27 of the 30 Tibetan households living in the study area. These local people did not consider that snow leopard is the main predator of their livestock, and thus there is little retaliatory killing. Prospects for the conservation of snow leopard in this area therefore appear to be good. We analysed the potential threats to the species and propose the establishment of a protected area for managing snow leopard and the fragile alpine ecosystem of this region."
Recovery of snow leopard Uncia uncia in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park, Nepal Ale, Yonzon & Thapa, 2007
Abstract: "From September to November 2004 we conducted surveys of snow leopard Uncia uncia signs in three major valleys in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park in Nepal using the Snow Leopard Information Management System, a standardized survey technique for snow leopard research. We walked 24 transects covering c. 14 km and located 33 sites with 56 snow leopard signs, and 17 signs incidentally in other areas. Snow leopards appear to have re-inhabited the Park, following their disappearance c. 40 years ago, apparently following the recovery of Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus and musk deer Moschus chrysogaster populations. Taken together the locations of all 73 recent snow leopard signs indicate that the species is using predominantly grazing land and shrubland/open forest at elevations of 3,000–5,000 m, habitat types that are also used by domestic and wild ungulates. Sagarmatha is the homeland of c. 3,500 Buddhist Sherpas with >3,000 livestock. Along with tourism and associated developments in Sagarmatha, traditional land use practices could be used to ensure coexistence of livestock and wildlife, including the recovering snow leopards, and ensure the wellbeing of the Sherpas."
Large carnivores and low diversity of optimal prey: a comparison of the diets of snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus in Sarychat-Ertash Reserve in Kyrgyzstan Jumabay-Uulu, Wegge, Mishra & Sharma, 2013
Abstract: "In the cold and arid mountains of Central Asia, where the diversity and abundance of wild ungulates are generally low, resource partitioning among coexisting carnivores is probably less distinct than in prey-rich areas. Thus, similar-sized carnivores are likely to compete for food. We compared the summer diets of snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus in Sarychat-Ertash Reserve in the Tien-Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, based on analysis of genetically confirmed scats. Abundances of the principal prey species, argali Ovis ammon and Siberian ibex Capra sibirica, were estimated from field surveys. The diets consisted of few species, with high interspecific overlap (Pianka's index = 0.91). Argali was the predominant prey, with > 50% frequency of occurrence in both snow leopard and wolf scats. This was followed by Siberian ibex and marmots Marmota baibacina. Being largely unavailable, remains of livestock were not detected in any of the scats. In the snow leopard diet, proportions of argali and ibex were in line with the relative availabilities of these animals in the Reserve. This was in contrast to the diet of wolf, where argali occurred according to availability and ibex was significantly underrepresented. The high diet overlap indicates that the two predators might compete for food when the diversity of profitable, large prey is low. Competition may be more intense in winter, when marmots are not available. Hunting of argali and ibex outside the Reserve may be unsustainable and therefore reduce their abundances over time. This will affect both predators negatively and intensify competition for food. Reduction in ibex populations will directly affect the snow leopard, and the wolf is likely to be indirectly affected as a result of increased snow leopard predation of argali."
Patterns of Snow Leopard Site Use in an Increasingly Human-Dominated Landscape Alexander, Gopalaswamy, Shi, Hughes & Riordan, 2016
Abstract: "Human population growth and concomitant increases in demand for natural resources pose threats to many wildlife populations. The landscapes used by the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and their prey is increasingly subject to major changes in land use. We aimed to assess the influence of 1) key human activities, as indicated by the presence of mining and livestock herding, and 2) the presence of a key prey species, the blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), on probability of snow leopard site use across the landscape. In Gansu Province, China, we conducted sign surveys in 49 grid cells, each of 16 km2 in size, within a larger area of 3392 km2. We analysed the data using likelihood-based habitat occupancy models that explicitly account for imperfect detection and spatial auto-correlation between survey transect segments. The model-averaged estimate of snow leopard occupancy was high [0.75 (SE 0.10)], but only marginally higher than the naïve estimate (0.67). Snow leopard segment-level probability of detection, given occupancy on a 500 m spatial replicate, was also high [0.68 (SE 0.08)]. Prey presence was the main determinant of snow leopard site use, while human disturbances, in the form of mining and herding, had low predictive power. These findings suggest that snow leopards continue to use areas very close to such disturbances, as long as there is sufficient prey. Improved knowledge about the effect of human activity on large carnivores, which require large areas and intact prey populations, is urgently needed for conservation planning at the local and global levels. We highlight a number of methodological considerations that should guide the design of such research."
POPULATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF SNOW LEOPARDS IN WANGCHUCK CENTENNIAL NATIONAL PARK, BHUTAN All staff of Wangchuck Centennial National Park, October 2016
Photo and information credits: Vinod Bartakke
This was my third visit to Kibber and for me it was one of the most successful Snow Leopard expeditions ever! Kibber is indeed a wildlife heaven – where one gets to see/observe snow leopards along with other lesser wildlife. We observed & photographed 3 different snow leopard individuals within a span of 7 days. Almost all of the snow leopard sightings were for a full day (usually between 8am to 5.30pm). Weather conditions become adverse after 5pm and most of the times we had to leave the snow leopard and get back to our base camp (Hotel RedFox) Thanks to a great team of trackers - we also got some good photographs of Red fox, Ibexes, Bearded Vultures (Lammergeier), Golden Eagles, Tibetan Snow finches, Great Rosefinches, etc.. Extremely fortunate to have witnessed a snow leopard hunting attempt! It was past 5pm & light was fading fast when the Snow Leopard started to move. It stalked 3 male ibexes for more than 20 minutes. There was a moment when the leopard was hardly 40 meters from the Ibexes. Ibexes were lucky, they sensed the presence of the predator and started running. The hunt was unsuccessful but the thrill we experienced cannot be described in words! Thanks to Team RedFox and SpitiUnited for a mind-blowing experience - Indrajit, Sushil Dorje, Tenzin Dorje, Meme Tsering, Meme Dariya, Ringzin, Shonam, Lattu, Kunga, Kesang , Tashi Tenzin, Norbu and many more! Chinmay started this whole project a few years back with a great vision and what a team he has built! We hope to work towards completing his dream and make this a big success! Really proud to be associated with SpitiUnited!  *This image is copyright of its original author
Range-Wide Snow Leopard Phylogeography Supports Three Subspecies Janecka et al., 2017
Abstract: "The snow leopard, Panthera uncia, is an elusive high-altitude specialist that inhabits vast, inaccessible habitat across Asia. We conducted the first range-wide genetic assessment of snow leopards based on noninvasive scat surveys. Thirty-three microsatellites were genotyped and a total of 683-bp of mitochondrial DNA sequenced in 70 individuals. Snow leopards exhibited low genetic diversity at microsatellites (AN = 5.8, HO = 0.433, HE = 0.568), virtually no mtDNA variation, and underwent a bottleneck in the Holocene (~8,000 years ago) coinciding with increased temperatures, precipitation, and upward treeline shift in the Tibetan Plateau. Multiple analyses supported three primary genetic clusters: (1) Northern (the Altai region), (2) Central (core Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau), and (3) Western (Tian Shan, Pamir, trans-Himalaya regions). Accordingly, we recognize three subspecies, P. u. irbis (Northern group), P. u. uncia (Western group), and P. u. uncioides (Central group) based upon genetic distinctness, low levels of admixture, unambiguous population assignment, and geographic separation. The patterns of variation were consistent with desert-basin "barrier effects" of the Gobi isolating the northern subspecies (Mongolia), and the trans-Himalaya dividing the central (Qinghai, Tibet, Bhutan, and Nepal) and western subspecies (India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan). Hierarchical Bayesian clustering analysis revealed additional subdivision into a minimum of six proposed management units: western Mongolia, southern Mongolia, Tian Shan, Pamir-Himalaya, Tibet-Himalaya, and Qinghai, with spatial autocorrelation suggesting potential connectivity by dispersing individuals up to ~ 400 km. We provide a foundation for global conservation of snow leopard subspecies, and set the stage for in-depth landscape genetics and genomic studies."
Impact of wild prey availability on livestock predation by snow leopards Suryawanshi et al., 2017
Abstract: "An increasing proportion of the world's poor is rearing livestock today, and the global livestock population is growing. Livestock predation by large carnivores and their retaliatory killing is becoming an economic and conservation concern. A common recommendation for carnivore conservation and for reducing predation on livestock is to increase wild prey populations based on the assumption that the carnivores will consume this alternative food. Livestock predation, however, could either reduce or intensify with increases in wild prey depending on prey choice and trends in carnivore abundance. We show that the extent of livestock predation by the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia intensifies with increases in the density of wild ungulate prey, and subsequently stabilizes. We found that snow leopard density, estimated at seven sites, was a positive linear function of the density of wild ungulates—the preferred prey—and showed no discernible relationship with livestock density. We also found that modelled livestock predation increased with livestock density. Our results suggest that snow leopard conservation would benefit from an increase in wild ungulates, but that would intensify the problem of livestock predation for pastoralists. The potential benefits of increased wild prey abundance in reducing livestock predation can be overwhelmed by a resultant increase in snow leopard populations. Snow leopard conservation efforts aimed at facilitating increases in wild prey must be accompanied by greater assistance for better livestock protection and offsetting the economic damage caused by carnivores." 
Snow Leopard caught with camera trap in western Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Credits to WCP and WWF Bhutan.
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Thomas Rajan.
Snow leopard... Spiti valley.  *This image is copyright of its original author
Photo and information credits: Alex Kirichko
"Ghost Of The Mountain. Female snow leopard. Mongolia, South Gobi. August 2017."  *This image is copyright of its original author
Credits to Ben Cranke.
A moment of magic … I had dreamt of seeing and photographing a wild snow leopard in it's natural environment for many years. At an altitude of 4400m I was suffering from altitude sickness and a hacking cough, but it was completely worth it for this privileged sighting. Photographed during our @tuskphoto safari to the Indian Himalaya.  *This image is copyright of its original author
|
this cat really lives it's life on a knife edge!
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 16 Guest(s) |