Dangers

One of the biggest dangers for the snow leopard is its shrinking habitat. Agriculture, animal husbandry and the development of infrastructure are depriving the snow leopard of more and more land, and carving up its habitat. Pastures are displacing the already sparse grasslands, making it nearly impossible for them to recover. The consequences are desiccation, erosion and even desertification. This development is exacerbated by the climate crisis. According to estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Asian mountain ranges are among the regions of the world that are most severely affected by the climate crisis.

Snow leopards are being forced to retreat to higher, less suitable areas. At the same time, livestock farmers are also grazing their animals in higher and higher regions. This leads to more frequent contact between them and gives snow leopards more opportunities to kill domesticated animals. This then exacerbates the conflict and reduces the local population’s acceptance of these rare big cats.