Panthera’s Snow Leopard Program aims to lead science-based efforts to study snow leopard ecology, evolution and habitats. From this, we can build a conservation program rooted in strong science and proven conservation strategy. Our goal is to better understand snow leopard populations and behavior, and support programs that help populations increase towards, or stabilize at, carrying capacity. In 2020 and beyond we plan on strengthening our partner relationships and doing more work to determine the details of local snow leopard populations, including implementing regional surveys.
In honor of International Snow Leopard Day on October 23, we've compiled some of our most popular blogs about the elusive feline known as the "mountain ghost." Read up on our work with snow leopards so you too can be a snow leopard expert.
By: Rana Bayrakçısmith, MES, Snow Leopard Program Manager
Rana Bayrakcismith has dedicated her career to studying snow leopards without actually seeing any in the wild. Read her story of a once in a lifetime opportunity to find, collar, and study one of these elusive "mountain ghosts" in person in Kyrgyzstan’s Sarychat Ertash Reserve.
By: Tom McCarthy, Ph.D., Species Specialist, Snow Leopard Program
With innovation and multiple successes on the conservation front, one might think snow leopards are well understood and their future bright. But they remain a mysterious, poorly understood, difficult to study species which face multiple threats across their vast range.
Read all about Winston Cobb Fellow Sophie’s trip to Ladakh, India, to learn about the elusive snow leopard and the work that goes into conserving it with the Snow Leopard Conservancy – India Trust (SLC-IT).
The homestay program has been instrumental in changing people's attitudes toward the snow leopard. People who killed snow leopards 15 years ago in retaliation for preying on their livestock are now attracting the cats close to their villages. Today, they consider the snow leopard a tourism asset, an animal worth more alive than dead.
By: Byron Weckworth, Ph.D., Director, Snow Leopard Program
“They spoke of a mysterious cat of the mountains. But I never saw one,” an old Dahawndum hunter said, answering questions posed by colleagues and me after a 17-day trek through the jungles of Myanmar—part of our 45-day expedition to find snow leopards.
By: Sebastian Kennerknecht, Panthera Partner Photographer
There had only been two moments in my photographic career when I knew that I had gotten a great picture—this was my third. I threw my arms up, danced around like a kid, and let out a lung-bursting scream in pure jubilation.
We studied the recovering tiger population of India’s Rajaji National Park for 13 years, learning many lessons along the way. From rarely encountering signs of these big cats before 2004 to a...
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2020-05-26 09:51:32
Protecting Manas’s Tigers During the Pandemic
The Aaranyak-Panthera Team is supporting rangers on the frontlines to protect tigers in India’s Manas Tiger Reserve. Working with surrounding communities is integral to protecting the natural...
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2020-01-07 13:35:55
Top 10 Blogs of 2019
To celebrate the new year, we've collected the ten most popular Field Notes blogs from 2019. From lions to snow leopards to small cats, enjoy some of the coolest scientific discoveries and...
