Snow Leopard Survival Strategy - Panthera

however, difficulties have been reported in the enforcement
of these decrees (UNEP, 2003).
Bhutan
Hunting of snow leopard is prohibited in Bhutan
through the Forest and Nature Conservation Act 1995.
Killing of a snow leopard can result in a fine of BTN
15,000 (approx. USD 309), which is among the highest
fines for killing an animal in Bhutan and approximately
twice the amount of the annual cash income of a wildlife
warden (around BTN 7,000 or USD 150) (D. Yonten,
Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forestry
of Bhutan, in litt. to TRAFFIC, May 2003).
China
The Wildlife Animal Protection Law (WAPL) of the
People’s Republic of China (1989) and the Enforcement
Regulations for the Protection of Terrestrial Wildlife
of the People’s Republic of China (1992) are the two
principal laws providing full protection to snow leopard
in China. The WAPL distinguished between Class I and
II State-protected wildlife, referred to as ‘animals under
special state protection’ (ASSP). Provinces may also
adopt provincial wildlife protection regulations, which
may include species not listed on the national WAPL.
These regulations may be more, but not less, stringent
than the national legislation. Yunnan, for example,
prohibited all hunting and sale of live animals in 1997.
Snow leopard are listed a Class I protected species in
China. The illegal hunting of Class I protected species
constitutes a criminal offence punishable in accordance
with the provisions of Article 130 of the Criminal
Law. Sale and purchase of Class I protected wildlife or
their products is strictly prohibited although scientific
research, domestication, breeding, or exhibition is allowed
with permit (O’Connell-Rodwell and Parry-Jones,
2002). Article 31 of the WAPL states that a person that
kills animals under special state protection shall be prosecuted
for criminal responsibility under the Criminal
Law. The Criminal Law, last amended in 1997, provides
severe penalties for unlawful taking, killing transporting,
purchase or selling of state protected animal species.
Depending on the severity of the crime this can result in
a prison sentence of more than 10 years, a fine and the
confiscation of property (H. Xu, TRAFFIC East Asia, in
litt. to TRAFFIC, 2003).
India
The snow leopard is protected in India under the
National Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 as well as
under the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act
of 1978, and is listed in Schedule I of both acts. In 1986,
the National Wildlife (Protection) Act was amended
through the inclusion of a new chapter that prohibited
the trade in all scheduled species. After this amendment
the maximum penalty for offences against animals listed
in schedule I of this Act is seven years imprisonment and
INR 25,000 (=USD 516) fine. However, as the Jammu
and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act was not amended
until 2002, the punishment under the latter remained as
maximum imprisonment of six years and a maximum
fine of INR 2,000. However, the trade in snow leopard
skins continued in Jammu and Kashmir until the end
of the 1990s, due to loopholes in the legislation and a
long pending court case in the Supreme Court of India
against the general ban on trade in any part derived from
protected scheduled species (Panjwani, 1997). Following
the most recent amendment of the Wildlife Protection
Act of Jammu and Kashmir in 2002, nowadays all trade
in parts of scheduled animals is considered illegal and the
maximum penalties are the same as under the national
Wildlife Protection Act (M. Misra, TRAFFIC Consultant,
in litt. to TRAFFIC, 2002).
Kazakhstan
The snow leopard is protected in Kazakhstan under
the Law on Wildlife Protection of January 1993 and hunting,
possession and sale is prohibited. It is also included
in the Red Data Book of 1978. The maximum fine for
illegal hunting of snow leopards in Kazakhstan is KZT
150,000 (=USD 1,000) (Y. Yuchenkov, Katon-Karagay
State National Park, in litt. to TRAFFIC, 2002).
Kyrgyzstan
Hunting, possession and trade of snow leopard is
prohibited in Kyrgyzstan through the Law on the Animal
World (1999). After a revision of the relevant Penalty
Code the maximum fine for the illegal killing of Snow
Leopards is now KYS 63,000 (=USD 1,300) and up to
three years imprisonment. In addition, the authorities are
authorised to confiscate the specimen (Anon., 2001). In
1999, the German NGO NABU established a specialised
anti-poaching team that works in close cooperation with
the Kyrgyz Ministry of Environment, Emergencies and
Civil Defence. This anti-poaching unit is specifically targeting
illegal killing of and trade in snow leopard or their
parts, but also focuses on other wildlife offences, such
as poaching of snow leopard prey species, such as ibex,
marmots or argali sheep (Dexel, 2002).
Mongolia
In 1972, the snow leopard is listed in the Mongolian
Red Data Book as ‘very rare’ and hunting is prohibited
since then. However, sport hunting of the species was
legal until 1992. The new Hunting Law of 1995 prohibits
the hunting, trapping, or selling of snow leopard hides
and any other part. However, until April 2000 there was
no legal restriction on purchasing, owing, or possessing
of snow leopard parts. After strong lobbying activities by
several national conservation NGOs, the Hunting Law
of 1995 was revised and a new Law of Fauna (2000)
was enacted. This law specifically prohibits the sale or
purchase of any snow leopard part. In addition, the law
includes provisions to provide ‘whistle-blowers’ with
15% of the total fines paid by the offender. According
to the ‘List of Rare Animals and Wild Animal Ecology-
Economic Valuation’ the snow leopard economic value
has been set at MNT 500,000 (=USD 450) and that of
26 | SNOW LEOPARD SURVIVAL STRATEGY