KATHMANDU — In early February 2022, a team of tiger researchers started downloading images from camera traps as part of a population census for the big cat in Nepal. They had to analyze 40,111 images taken by camera traps in the Chitwan-Parsa Complex, a key tiger habitat, from Dec. 5, 2021, to Feb. 7, 2022. […]
Tag: snow leopard
Honey production sweetens snow leopard conservation in Kyrgyzstan
SHAMSHY, Kyrgyzstan — “I was only 9 when I first saw a snow leopard with my father. He was a ranger bringing injured animals found in the mountains to the veterinarian,” says Asanbek Sasukilov, 62, a beekeeper and herder. “I was sitting close to the cage. Suddenly, the snow leopard started to roar, and I […]
As Himalayas thaw, snow leopards scramble for habitat: Q&A with Bikram Shrestha
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, […]
Himalayan catfight looms as tigers, leopards venture into snow leopard land
KATHMANDU — A tiger sits quietly surrounded by trees, observing something in the distance. It then roars and darts toward its target: a leopard that jumps down from a tree. The two big cats confront one another, but with the leopard taking the submissive stance of lying on the ground, the standoff doesn’t escalate into […]
‘Grumpiest cat’ leaves its calling card on the world’s highest mountain
KATHMANDU — If you were a grumpy cat, you’d probably want to avoid company. And if you were the world’s grumpiest, as David Attenborough once described the elusive manul, what better place for solitude than the slopes of the world’s tallest mountain? This appears, at least, to be the newest-known haunt of the manul, or […]
Hunting takes its toll on Himalaya’s blue sheep, favored prey of snow leopards
KATHMANDU — The Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve in western Nepal is known for its pristine high-altitude grasslands, and buzzes with helicopter traffic every October and November, at the onset of winter. The choppers carry more than half a dozen foreigners, mostly from the U.S., Russia, Canada, Norway and Germany, typically clad in camouflage and wielding hunting […]
‘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 […]
How snow leopard saviour helped protect endangered species by tackling ‘retaliation killings’ in Himalayas
An Indian conservationist who helped save the highly endangered snow leopard by tackling “retaliation killings” in the Himalayas has won a prestigious award from a UK wildlife charity for his pioneering work. Snow leopards live high in the mountains of central Asia but have suffered huge declines in numbers as climate change melts their icy […]