Nepal Collaring Snow Leopard, 2015.by | 01-09-2015 21:21 |
|---|
 Nepal collared the first snow leopard using satellite-GPS technology in 2013, which created new strides in its conservation. There are estimated 350-590 snow leopards in Nepal according to 2009 population data on the species. The second snow leopard was collared in Kangchanjunga by the government of Nepal, supported by WWF, National Trust for Nature Conservation, Kangchanjunga Conservation Area Project, Kangchanjunga Conservation Area Management Council and local citizen scientists, on May, 2015, just after the devastating earthquake rocked the Himalayas of Nepal. Snow Leopard Conservation Committees have been involved who played a key role in identifying snow leopard hotspots for tracking purposes through ongoing camera trap monitoring operations, participating in the collaring operations, and managing local logistics. This technology will help provide important information on the ecology and behavior of the wide ranging snow leopard, through data received from the satellite collar, it will be possible to determine their movement patterns, habitat use and preferences, home ranges to identify critical core habitats and corridors between them, including trans-boundary habitat linkages and climate resilient habitats. Snow leopards are highly elusive creatures and given the terrains they reside in, monitoring work on the species is a highly challenging task. The snow leopard was named ?Omikhangri? after a mountain near the collaring location.
Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxV7BbZVnkw&feature=youtu.be |
