There are currently more than 700 snow leopards living in the wild in India. The Environment Ministry in New Delhi announced this result of a counting campaign lasting several years. In order to ensure the long-term survival of the rare animals, constant monitoring of the population is important.
The shy loners with grey-white, dark-patterned fur are often referred to as the “spirit of the mountains” because they are rarely seen. According to the environmental foundation WWF, there are still around 4,200 to 6,400 of the animals that live in freedom, well camouflaged, in the rocky, snowy high mountains of Central Asia and the Himalayas. They are listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Major threats to them include loss of habitat and poachers.
The analysis in India was conducted during 2019 to 2023 on around 120,000 square kilometers – more than 70 percent of the estimated snow leopard habitat in the country, it said. Wildlife officials, researchers, volunteers and the environmental organization WWF were among those involved. First, the distribution of the animals in the area was estimated. Photos of 241 snow leopards were later taken using camera traps. The number was extrapolated based on this and other data.
