Caprines (including goats and sheep)

[Spalea]

Behzad J. Larry: " Portrait of a blue sheep.

Always a privilege when wild ungulates allow you this close- although this is still with a 600 f/4. It means conservation is working and the animals don’t consider humans as threats.
In the majority of places that we work in, wildlife conservation is critically tied to tourism. Tourism has allowed communities to earn sustainable incomes that are less reliant on precious natural resources. A family that lives in snow leopard habitat and earns a majority of their income by working in the tourism industry is less reliant on herds of livestock. This frees up grazing lands for wild ungulates, eventually boosting prey base numbers and allowing for higher snow leopard numbers.
It is crucial that these livelihoods are sustained. If employment begins to dry up in these remote frontiers, villages will be forced to return to viewing natural resources as a “free” resource- escalating the pressure on wild animals and slowly bringing back human-wildlife conflict.
When the world opens up for travel again- visit these areas and spend your dollars on the frontlines of conservation. If you’re already booked to go to a place where conservation and tourism work hand in hand, work with your tour operators to rebook your tours instead of canceling them. Every dollar that enters remote communities means conservation can be kept alive. "

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