| Scientific
Name: Uncia uncia
Size: 80 cms at shoulder
Weight: 60 kgs
IUCN Endangered Species?: Endangered
Estimated Wild Population: Less that
7000
Distribution: Largely within the
Himalayan mountain range - especially Afghanistan
Description: Living
in the mountainous regions of southern Asia such as the Himalayas, has
been the snow leopard’s saviour.
This has enabled them to live in areas where poaching is very
difficult. Animals from
such inhospitable, cold climates are never very common but an additional
downside is that it also has one of the thickest coats of any mammal.
Trade in its fur was once the largest threat.
This, coupled with the fact that, like all large cats, it is
persecuted by humans for preying on livestock, has led to the snow
leopard becoming one of the most elusive and rarely seen animals in the
world. This makes effective
estimates of its numbers very difficult. Although the snow leopard is widely distributed, populations
have become increasingly scattered.
Natural prey species are also too low to sustain significant
numbers of a large predator such as this.
|
