Snow Leopards
Heather D
The snow leopard. Another name for it is an ounce. It�s an endangered
animal that has more domestic cat traits than wild traits. They can meow,
but cannot roar. They also purr like many house cats, but that is not
all. They grow to be about six feet long, and use their tail as a muffler
in the freezing mountain winters. Their thick fur also helps them keep
warm. Snow leopards have large, wide paws that help them travel across
their rugged habitat and snow. They have short, stout limbs and powerful
muscles for moving across dangerous mountains. Snow leopards have thick,
wooly fur that has spots like a jungle leopard, only they rae black and
white, instead of yellow and black. Did you know that they are the least
studied endangered species?(Hillard, D; page 482)
A snow leopard�s life is mainly spent solitary. The only times where they
are not solitary are the mating season, which runs from January to mid
March. They are also not alone the two to three years that they raise
their cubs. Snow leopards can have up to five cubs. Besides these times,
snow leopards keep a distance from one another by leaving their scent on
where they have been. Though they don�t mark their territory. Because they
are solitary by nature, there is no name for a group of snow leopards.
During mating season, they yowl to find one another. Villagers that live
near snow leopard habitat hear this and that is how the legend of the Yeti
sprouted.
Snow leopard habitat is a rough and rugged terrain with tons of broken
boulders, gullies, and sharp rocks. They prefer this kind of place.
Tibetan highlands, Apline meadows, treeless rocky mountains, and rohendren
forests are examples of where they live. It is a dangerous and degraded
place to be.(http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts)
There are also fragile mountain grasslands. In the winter, there are wet
and heavy snowflakes, alongside the frigid morning air, where just about
no other animals can survive. They can be found in the permanent snow line
areas.
Snow leopards roam in the wild around an area about the size of Texas.
Some of these places are cantral Asia, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Nepal, and
Pakistan. (http://electron.cs.uwindsor.ca/websites/parekh3/snoleopard.htm)
Some are even found on the Langu cliffs in Central Nepal. There are only a
few reserves for the snow leopard and their prey. About six percent of
their population live in reserves, and just 150 have been bred
successfully. (http://nature.ca/notebooks/english/snolep.htm)
Those 150 now live in zoos. They can live from fifteen to eighteen years
in captivity, but in the wild, snow leopards only live to be about eight
to ten years old! That age in the wild is considered �old�.
No one knows for sure, but people have estimated that about 4,500 to
5,000 snow leopards roam around in Asia. The villagers that live near the
snow leopards habitat rarely see them themselves. There have been
sightings and photos of snow leopards in China, so most people believe
that most of the population lives in China.
A reason that snow leopard populations are decreasing is because of human
expansion. (http://nationalgeographic.com/ news/2002/06/0614_020614_snow
leopards.html) People are focusing on economic development and not really
caring about the snow leopard�s habitat. Another reason is that snow
leopards attack livestock. Herders kill them only to protect their
livestock. People also hunt them for meat. People also have competitions
to see whom can kill the most of them for trophies and money.
The snow leopard is a very opportunistic predator. and has many many
types of prey. Some of the animals that they live on are deer, musk deer,
ibex, marmot, and picas. There is a saying among the mountain people.
�Where you find the blue sheep, you will find the snow leopard,�
(Hillard,D. p. 612) That is because snow leopards also eat domestic
livestock. They quietly stalk their prey, and then spring their
attack.(Taylor, R. p. 612) Snow leopards have been observed leaping as far
as forty - five feet.
Snow leopard fur coats go for about 1,000 Euros in Europe. Poaching there
is illegal, and people move there from South America, Mexico, and even the
United States and sell them in foreign shops. The pelts are used for coats
and rugs. The United Nations in Europe are are appalled that people would
purchase an endangered species� fur. Many of the people who own the shops
have moved there since the Tabilion War. The United Nation also thinks
that foreigners don�t know that they are helping to make a species
extinct.(http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/ 01/05/1041566309307.html)
The bones of a snow leopard are ingredients of some Asian and Chinese
medicines.
There are laws protecting snow leopards. One of them is that listed
endangered species cannot be traded commercially. Another law is that you
can hunt snow leopards only if you donate a lot of money to a foundation
that protects them, and your hunting will not bring them to extinction or
harm their survival.
(http://www.home.vicnet.net.au/~werx/leopard/snow%20leopard.htm) There
also many support groups out there protecting them. One of them is the
International Snow Leopard Trust. Another group is the Wild Fauna and
Flora.
What might happen in the future? Snow leopards might become extinct. That
will probably be due to the lack of awareness in the world. Also if
foreigners keep poaching them illegally, their population will decrease
immensely. They will be extremely close to extinction. So why should snow
leopard be protected you ask?
Snow leopards are a symbol of Asia�s mountains. If they lose them, Asia
will lose some of its life. Also, when there are no more snow leopards to
keep the number of deer in check, disease could spread. Therefore, snow
leopards are a magnificent species with a large title. Even though they
rae close to extinction, there is a chance that they will not be extinct,
and they will be a valued and protected animal everywhere.
Bibliography
Hillard, Darla. Vanishing Tracks. New York: Arbor House, 1989
http://electron.cs.windsor.ca/websites/parekh3/snoleop
Taylor, Richard C. The World Book Encyclopediaard.htm
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~werx/leopard/snow%20leopard.htm
http://nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0614_020614_snowleopards.html
http://nature.ca/notebooks/english/snolep.htm
http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts
http://theage.com/au/articles/2003/01/05/1041566309307.htm
Taylor, Richard C. The World Book Encyclopedia. 2001, Volume 17, Page 540