Abstract
We conducted a status-survey on Snow Leopard Panthera uncia and its main prey, the Blue Sheep Pseudois nayaur, in the Mustang District of Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area, in 2010 and 2011. Sign transects, covering a total linear distance of 19.4km, revealed an average density of 5.8 signs per kilometer, which compares with those from other Snow Leopard range countries. This also roughly corresponded with the minimum number of three adult Snow Leopards we obtained from nine remote cameras, deployed to monitor areas of c. 75km2 in extent. We obtained 42 pictures of Snow Leopards during nine capture events. We conclude that Mustang harbors at least three adult Snow Leopards, and probably more, along with a healthy Blue Sheep population (a total of 528 individuals, along 37.6km of Snow Leopard transect lines). We suggest that people-wildlife conflicts exist but that the local people tolerate Snow Leopards based on their Buddhist socio-religious values.
Highlights
AND OBJECTIVESThe endangered Snow Leopards Panthera uncia inhabit some of the world’s most rugged landscape, exemplified by the Himalaya, where they prefer steep, rugged terrain well broken by cliffs, ridges, gullies and rocky outcrops (Schaller 1977; Jackson & Ahlborn 1989)
A large portion of this lies within Mustang District covering c. 47% of the Annapurna Conservation Area (7,629km2) (NTNC 2008)
Snow Leopards have been reported from the adjoining districts, Manang (Oli 1994) to the east and Dolpo (Jackson & Alhborn 1990) to the west, but little is known about the population in Mustang except for anecdotal accounts of livestock losses allegedly killed by this large feline
Summary
AND OBJECTIVESThe endangered Snow Leopards Panthera uncia inhabit some of the world’s most rugged landscape, exemplified by the Himalaya, where they prefer steep, rugged terrain well broken by cliffs, ridges, gullies and rocky outcrops (Schaller 1977; Jackson & Ahlborn 1989). Annapurna Conservation Area, a part of Nepal Himalaya, dominated by some of the world’s tallest mountains, supports a significant proportion of Nepal’s Snow Leopards estimated at 350–500 individuals (Jackson & Ahlborn 1990).
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