People Keep Killing Snow Leopards For Eating Their Livestock

Humans kill hundreds of snow leopards every year, often as “retaliation” for attacking livestock, according to a new report from wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC. The elusive, endangered felines — nicknamed “mountain ghosts” — roam the high mountains of central Asia, and population estimates vary. As few as 4,000 snow leopards may remain in the wild, according to a news release from TRAFFIC, which is a joint effort by the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, big cat protection group Panthera notes that scientists estimate between 4,5000 and 10,000 wild snow leopards are left. TRAFFIC’s survey found that between 221 and 450 snow leopards have been poached each year since 2008, based on the estimates of experts working in regions where the cats live. Those numbers could actually be higher, the report says, noting that it’s difficult to monitor illegal trade.   Snow leopards live in 12 different countries, but more than 90 percent of the apparent poaching of the animals takes place in China, Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan. More than half of those leopards are killed by herders who are targeting animals that have preyed on livestock like sheep and cattle. A smaller proportion — 21 percent — were killed specifically for their pelts, teeth, claws and bones, all of which can be sold through illegal channels. There is sometimes a con...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news