Help snow leopards and people live together

The Snow Leopard Trust really does take animal and human and well-being and needs into account in its work.

The Trust works in 5 of the 12 countries where snow leopards are found:  China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Pakistan.   Roughly 75% of the world's snow leopards live here.  They also live in Russia, Afghanistan, Butan and Nepal.

A wild snow leopard family in China
Video from the Snow Leopard Trust, April 2017


The US based organisation aims to better understand snow leopards and to protect them by partnering with the communities which share their habitat.  Partner organisations carry out research, lead community conservation programmes and negotiate policy decisions with local authorities.

Snow leopards are threatened by poaching, mining and a changing climate.   It is estimated that their are between 3,920 and 6,390 snow leopards in the wild.

But one snow leopard needs a lot of space to roam.  They are solitary and elusive animals.   They have been known to use up to 1,000 square kilometres.  Mapping technology used by the Snow Leopard Trust in its research has shown one snow leopard to travel an incredible 27 miles across open desert in one night.

And of course many people living in the same area as snow leopards are herders.  They live on about $2 a day, dependent on their livestock for both food and income.   Hungry snow leopards can attack and kill these livestock, which leads to retaliation killings by locals, and to poaching, as locals try to protect their livestock and earn extra money.

The Snow Leopard Trust works to break this cycle.  They create incentives for herders to protect local wildlife and ecosystems.

Ways they are holding snow leopards and locals include:

• Creating sustainable economic opportunities for local people so that they don't need to turn to poaching for extra money
• Providing children and adults with environmental education
• Creating incentives for more careful herding practices and building corrals that are predator-proof to protect livestock
• Working on better training for law enforcement officials and protecting rangers and locals as they fight poachers
• Livestock insurance programmes to reduce the financial impact of snow leopard killings - locals can receive compensation

The Snow Leopard Trust is currently campaigning to raise $60,000 to expand its anti-poaching and community conservation programmes.

You can help the Trust in its work by:

Send an e-card for free!

1. Donating to support the Snow Leopard Trust's work and even pick a project to support
2. Sending a free e-card to spread the word about it
3. Adopting a snow leopard - you could do this as a gift - and you can do an e-adoption.  Purrfect for the big cat lover!

Give to the Big Give on Wednesday 10 May 2017 for Snow Leopards
and a donor will match the amounts raised to $2,500

On Wednesday 10 May 2017, 
The Seattle Foundation is running its Big Give.   A kind donor has challenged the Trust to raise at least $2,500 on that day.  If they reach the goal, the generous donor will match that amount, dollar for dollar!  Donations will help efforts to enable people and snow leopards co-exist.  You can donate at the Big Give's website here.