Snow leopards are elusive big cats inhabiting the high mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. They are found across 12 countries, including China, India, and Mongolia, thriving in rugged, steep terrain often above the treeline. Despite their adaptability to harsh environments, the snow leopard is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Their global population is estimated between 4,000 and 6,500 individuals, but this number is declining due to various pressures.
Habitat Degradation and Prey Scarcity
Human activities significantly alter the snow leopard’s natural habitat, contributing to its decline. The expansion of human settlements and infrastructure development like roads, railways, and mining operations encroaches upon their traditional territories. These developments fragment the snow leopard’s range, making it harder for them to move freely and find mates or sufficient prey. Mining activities can introduce dangerous chemicals and explosives, damaging habitat and forcing snow leopards to relocate.
Agricultural expansion and increased domestic livestock herds also degrade habitat. Livestock grazing competes directly with the snow leopard’s natural prey, like wild sheep and goats, for limited pastureland. This competition, coupled with human hunting of wild prey, depletes the snow leopard’s food sources. As natural prey becomes scarce, snow leopards are forced to prey on domestic animals, leading to conflicts with local communities.
Direct Human-Caused Mortality
Direct human-caused mortality, primarily through retaliatory killings and illegal poaching, poses a significant threat to snow leopards. When snow leopards prey on livestock, local herders often kill them to protect their livelihoods. Such incidents can be severe when a snow leopard kills multiple animals in a single event, known as “surplus killing.” This conflict is compounded by poverty in many snow leopard range communities, making the loss of even a single animal economically impactful.
Beyond retaliatory actions, illegal poaching and the wildlife trade pose a threat. Snow leopards are hunted for their highly valued fur, bones, and other body parts used in traditional medicine or as luxury items. Demand for these products fuels a lucrative black market, with estimates suggesting 221 to 450 snow leopards may be poached annually since 2008. Low detection rates mean actual numbers could be much higher.
Climate Change Alterations
Global climate change contributes to the vulnerability of snow leopards by altering their high-altitude mountain habitats. Rising temperatures melt glaciers and permafrost, important to these ecosystems. This warming trend can cause the treeline to shift upwards into alpine areas, shrinking the snow leopard’s preferred open, rocky habitat. Such changes reduce available space for snow leopards and impact prey distribution, as warmer conditions alter plant growth and ecosystem productivity.
Reduced snow cover, which snow leopards rely on for camouflage and hunting, is a consequence of warming temperatures. These environmental shifts can exacerbate human-wildlife conflict. As resources become scarcer due to climate-induced changes, both humans and snow leopards may be pushed into smaller, shared areas, increasing negative interactions. Scientists predict that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at current rates, up to 30% of snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas could be lost to treeline shifts alone.