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Conflict with herders
Killings of Snow Leopards in response to, or in prevention of, livestock losses were reported as
the other prime danger to the species (besides loss of prey). Numbers of Snow Leopards
affected can be considerable and resentment among herders high. As an indication, at least 16
Snow Leopards were reported killed in Zaskar (Zanskar), in northern India, between 1996 and
2002, eight in one village alone, (Spearing, 2002). The killings either followed actual attacks
on livestock or were the result of general hostility towards Snow Leopards borne of previous or
expected attacks. Most herders interviewed in Zaskar felt that Snow Leopards should be
eradicated, because they were nuisance animals (Spearing, 2002). Similar numbers of Snow
Leopards are killed each year in Pakistan's Northern Areas (especially in Baltistan and Hunza),
in parts of Nepal's remote west and in certain areas on the Tibetan Plateau (R. Jackson, Snow
Leopard Conservancy, in litt., 12 July 2003).
The tendency of Snow Leopards to remain at the killing site to consume their prey increases
their vulnerability to retaliatory killings by herders. Moreover, in some areas, for example in
Ladakh, in India, livestock herders are known to have acted pre-emptively by removing Snow
Leopard cubs from their dens, to try and limit future damage to their livestock (Fox, 1997).
Although the cubs are often delivered to local wildlife protection personnel, most of them die
after failed attempts to return them to their mother.
Although reported losses of domestic stock to wolves are sometimes higher than those
attributed to Snow Leopards, wolves are not necessarily as keenly hunted by herders, as they
more frequently take smaller livestock, such as sheep and goats, whereas Snow Leopards also
take larger domestic animals, such as horses (McCarthy, 1999; R. Jackson, in litt., 12 July
2003). Moreover, herders in Afghanistan reported that Snow Leopards were more likely than
wolves to enter a corral and, therefore, to do more damage to livestock (Anon., 2003a).
Costs of depredation
Snow Leopard attacks on domestic livestock can amount to a considerable economic loss for
herding communities (Jackson, 1991; Oli et al., 1994; Jackson, 1999, Spearing 2002). A survey
in the Tsarap valley, in Zaskar, calculated that the average loss to Snow Leopards, per
household, in 2000-01 was 1.42 domestic animals, or INR2537 (USD54). Considering that the
average household income in that area is calculated at approximately INR17 784 (USD378), the
cost of Snow Leopard predation is clearly burdensome and threatens the livelihood of the
herding families. It should be borne in mind that only one-third of these families have any
permanent source of income and that the average family in the area needs to spend about
INR6000 (approx. USD130) each year on essential commodities (Spearing, 2002). Similarly
high costs in relation to family income are reported from other areas of the Snow Leopard’s
range. Interview surveys conducted by McCarthy (1999) among 105 herders in four provinces
in Mongolia (Govï-Altay, Hovd, Bayan-Ölgiy and Uvs) concluded that, on average, 57 head of
livestock a year were lost in Snow Leopard attacks. Overall, 70% of the losses were large
animals - horses or yaks - and it was calculated that the damage amounted to a monetary value
of around USD47 per household affected. This was equivalent to between six and 10 per cent
of the annual income of a herder family (USD470-783), or the cash value of a horse (see Table 3).
In Nepal, interviews in the Annapurna Conservation Area revealed that 72 animals were lost to
FADING FOOTPRINTS: the killing and trade of Snow Leopards 21