Source: DTE
Context: Snow leopards, carnivores of High Mountain Asia, also consume plants, particularly those of the Myricaria genus. This was discovered by Japanese scientists through analysis of faecal samples collected in Kyrgyzstan’s Tien-Shan Mountains.
More about the Snow leopards:
It inhabits the mountains of Central and South Asia, including 12 range countries like India, where there are around 718 snow leopards. They are mainly found where their principal prey, ibex and blue sheep, live. Snow leopards are the state animals of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. Hemis National Park (Ladakh) is known as the Snow Leopard Capital of the world
| Conservation Efforts Worldwide | Snow Leopard Trust: Focus on community-based conservation programs |
| Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP): Aims to secure 20 landscapes across the Snow Leopard range by 2020 | |
| Conservation Efforts in India | Project Snow Leopard (Government of India, 2009): Focus on conservation in high-altitude ecosystems |
| Community Involvement: Initiatives like Himal Sanrakshak recognize local communities’ role in protection and conflict reduction | |
| Snow Leopard Population Count: Introduced First National Protocol for population monitoring in 2019 | |
| Ministry’s Recovery Programme: Snow Leopard is on the list of 21 critically endangered species for recovery | |
| Snow Leopard Conservation Breeding Programme: Conducted at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, West Bengal |
