KATHMANDU — When researchers last year confirmed the presence of the manul, the “world’s grumpiest cat,” on the world’s highest mountain, they immediately looked at past records of the elusive feline in Nepal. And they found that the first person to confirm the cat’s presence in the country was one Bikram Shrestha. It seemed fitting, […]
Tag: Panthera uncia
‘Protecting snow leopards benefits other species’: Q&A with Rinzin Phunjok Lama
KATHMANDU — Think of big cats in Nepal, and you’ll probably picture a Bengal tiger. And while the country is famous for the Panthera tigris that prowl its southern plains — and for its efforts in doubling their population over the past decade — there’s another, lesser-known, big cat in the country’s north, lurking high […]
Does Tajikistan’s population of snow leopards really depend on trophy hunting for its survival?
The rare and secretive snow leopard is one of the few beasts that has captured human imagination. Fewer than 7,000 Panthera uncia are expected to persist over Asia’s high mountains, according to the red list of threatened species. A fifth of them dwell in Tajikistan’s Pamir mountains, the world’s third-highest environment after the Himalayan and […]
Myanmar’s snowcapped north is a haven for large mammals, new study finds
The Hkakaborazi landscape at the northern tip of Myanmar is dominated by precipitous snowcapped peaks that tower over rainforest-cloaked slopes and valleys below. Rugged and remote, the region is home to Southeast Asia’s highest mountain, Hkakabo Razi, which rises to 5,881 meters (19,295 feet) close to where the borders of Myanmar, India and China meet. […]
Study highlights ‘terrible’ signs of species decline from wildlife trade
Pangolins, orchids and chameleons — these are just a few species that are regularly traded in local and international wildlife markets, contributing to a global industry worth billions of dollars each year. But what is the wildlife trade’s impact on terrestrial biodiversity? A new study probes this very question. The study, published this week in […]
POLL: Should trophy hunting in Kyrgystan be banned?
BOKONBAYEVO, Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz folklore is laden with stories that warn its adherents against the over-hunting of animals. In one foreboding tale, Kodzhodzash, the leader of the Ak-Bars tribe, brutally ignores the wish of a female ibex, shooting dead her child and her mate.“May your father cry over you as I cry over my murdered […]
Global leaders head critical summit to save the snow leopard and its habitat
International Snow Leopard Summit and Ecosystem Forum, 23- 25 August, Bishkek Kyrgyzstan: World leaders will begin critical talks over the future of the snow leopard and its habitat; the headwaters for rivers on which hundreds of millions directly depend as a source of freshwater. WWF urges snow leopard range countries*, which include political powerhouses China, […]
Asian countries make historic pledge to save the ‘ghost of the mountain’
Representatives from Kyrgyzstan and 11 other Central and South Asian countries made a historic pledge today to protect and conserve snow leopards and their habitat in the high-mountain landscapes of Asia. Joined by conservation experts from around the world and the international donor community, the 12 nations endorsed the Bishkek Declaration on Snow Leopard Conservation […]