Snow leopards: India

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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

Population and habitat

As in 2014

Some facts, Snow Leopard: India; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

See graphic:

Some facts, Snow Leopard: India

Spiti

2019: at 50%, highest rate in world

March 5, 2019: The Times of India

A pair of snow leopards spotted in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. The success rate of snow leopard sightings in Spiti is over 50%- highest in the world.
From: March 5, 2019: The Times of India

The elusive and rarely sighted snow leopard is now frequently being spotted in snow-bound Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh. What will delight wildlife lovers even more is the tendency of the endangered species to be seen in pairs.

Spiti is fast becoming a sought-after destination for Indian and foreign tourists alike. The big cat is now an added attraction.

It has found a safe haven in Spiti where residents are protecting it and have learned to live with it. The success rate of snow leopard sightings in Spiti is over 50 % which is the highest in the world. Elsewhere, wildlife lovers spend decades searching for this elusive animal.

“In the last few days, we spotted two pairs of snow leopard in Spiti .This is a welcome sign suggesting that the species is thriving here,’’said Spiti wildlife range officer Devender Singh Chauhan. Red fox, Himalayan tahr, woolly hare, Himalayan blue sheep and many other species also have significant populations here added Chauhan. He said with the valley having received heavy snow this season, wildlife is descending to the lower regions. With the increasing sightings of the snow leopard, Chauhan added wildlife department has started to run snow leopard conservation programmes in Spiti and the results have been outstanding. Chauhan added that the economy of the village too has got a major boost with the sightings of the big cats.

A large number of visitors are now ready to pay money to the villagers who in turn are ready to help them visit places where the snow leopard could be sighted. “This is because of the environment that this animal is thriving in, in Spiti,’’ added wildlife range officer.

The valley already has an unwritten law banning poaching and residents respect this creature, said Chauhan.