- The vulnerable species was captured in Geu village of Spiti and was sent to the Himalayan Nature Park in Kufri of Shimla district.
- There are only 7500 snow leopards left in the world, out of which 44 reside in the high valleys of Himachal Pradesh.
- Last year, India along with 12 other countries pledged to begin counting the existing population of snow leopards and double its population.
According to Savita Sharma, chief wildlife officer, Himachal Pradesh, the snow leopard wasn’t released because it involved “wild animal-human conflict.”
There are only 7500 snow leopards left in the world, out of which 44 reside in the high valleys of Himachal Pradesh.
Apart from Himachal Pradesh, snow leopards can also be found in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arun Chal Pradesh. Moreover, they can also be found in China, Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Burma, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan.
The population of snow leopards is threatened with an increase in a number of road projects under China-Pakistan Economic order. Moreover, these snow leopards are forced to live in lower altitude as the population of ibex and blue sheep — its prey — is declining rapidly.
Last year, India along with 12 other countries pledged to begin counting the existing population of snow leopards and double its population.
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