‘Yak Insurance’ Plan Saving Nepal’s Snow Leopard

Phys.org (Frankie Taggart)

This handout photograph taken by a remote camera trap and released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Nepal shows a rare snow leopard in the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, 260 kilometres (160 miles) east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. An innovative insurance plan for yak and other livestock is deterring herders from killing snow leopards that attack their animals.

Elusive Cat Caught on Camera in Himalayas for First Time

NBC

An elusive thick-furred feline has been caught on camera for the first time in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

A camera trap captured images of the fluffy Pallas’s cat, also known as the manul, in the country’s sprawling Wangchuck Centennial Park (WCP), which is also home to the snow leopard and Himalayan black bear. Pallas’s cats had never been documented in the region before, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

UN Recognizes Wildlife Crime as Threat to Rule of Law

WWF

Poaching and the illicit trafficking of wildlife products were raised on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly for the first time Monday during discussions on strengthening national and international governance. World leaders gathering in New York for the global body’s 67th annual meeting highlighted wildlife trafficking along with other severe threats to the rule of law such as corruption and drug running.

In a written statement, permanent Security Council member United States highlighted “the harm caused by wildlife poaching and trafficking to conservation efforts, rule of law, governance and economic development.” The rapidly-growing illicit international trade in endangered species products, such as rhino horn, elephant ivory and tiger parts, is now estimated to be worth $8-10 billion per year globally.

Endangered Snow Leopard Habitat Threatened by Climate Change

WWF

A new WWF study shows that climate change is an increasing threat for already-endangered snow leopards in the eastern Himalayas – making it harder for them to live, breed and hunt. The science shows that if greenhouse gas emissions keep rising steadily, 30% of snow leopard habitat may be lost as the treeline shifts upwards.

Snow leopards are an endangered species – it’s estimated that only 4,000-6,500 individuals may be left in the wild, sparsely distributed in the mountains of northern and central Asia, including part of the Himalaya range.

New Video Shows Rare Snow Leopards in Kashmir

Live Science

Still images from camera traps set up near the India-Pakistan border revealed the presence of rare snow leopards in the region earlier this year and have now been stitched together into a new video that shows the leopards eating, as well as other species that roam the area.

The camera traps were set up by the conservation group WWF-India in 2010 in Kashmir, just a few miles from the line of control separating the Indian province from Pakistan. In February of this year, the cameras revealed the presence of at least two snow leopards. They were only the second photographic evidence ever captured indicating snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are now living in the region.

Tigers Migrate to China…in Pieces

WWF

Customs officers in Primorsky Province in Russia’s Far East have arrested a suspect found attempting to smuggle three Amur tiger paws across the border into China.

The arrest comes only a day after Primorsky police and the Federal Security Service discovered a large quantity of illegally obtained animal parts – including bear paws and pelts as well as two Amur tiger skins – in the province’s port city of Nakhodka. A businessman from the city and his accomplices have been arrested in relation to the incident.