Download - Global Tiger Initiative

Credit: Javed Khan
Four Snow Leopard pelts (two with broken tails) in a shop in Peshawar, Pakistan
No Snow Leopard skins or other body parts were observed in the markets and shops visited in
Karachi and Rawalpindi in July 2002, but a number of traders claimed that they could provide
these upon request. In general, traders at markets in Karachi and Rawalpindi seemed to be well
aware that the trade in Snow Leopard was illegal and were careful because of this. According
to traders in Karachi, the availability of Snow Leopard skins had decreased over the last decade.
Origin of the skins in trade and trade routes
According to interviews with skin traders, Snow Leopard skins are brought to Peshawar and
other markets from locations across the species’s range in Pakistan. In January 2002, the town
of Skardu in the Northern Areas province was visited (Khan, 2002b). Skardu is reported to be
an important trading place for various wildlife products and especially skins. From Skardu,
Snow Leopard skins are often taken to Peshawar, where higher prices are paid. Based on an
interview with a hunter from the North West Frontier Province, Snow Leopards as well as other
fur-bearing animals are generally hunted using traps or poison, probably to ensure that the skins
are kept intact and to avoid bullet holes. Most trappers and hunters have well-established
contacts with local traders who sell the skins at local markets or to the bigger traders in cities
such as Peshawar. Peshawar supplies skins to cities elsewhere in Pakistan. The common means
of transportation for Snow Leopard skins in Pakistan is by truck, hidden among bundles of legal
hides, such as sheep skins. Snow Leopard skins are also moved by public transport, sometimes
after arrangement with the driver.
The most important consumers of Snow Leopard products in Pakistan are wealthy people, and
skins or stuffed specimens are reported to be sold to high-ranking government officials. A trader
in Peshawar reported selling two Snow Leopard skins to a senior politician in the North West
Frontier Province. According to the Northern Areas Wildlife Department, no charges have been
FADING FOOTPRINTS: the killing and trade of Snow Leopards 41