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Elusive snow leopards caught on film stealing camera
Despite the fact that researchers found only 5 snow leopards, they were encouraged by the results of the camera trap survey.
Sun, Jan 29 2012 at 2:21 PM
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O HAI: A snow leopard checks out a camera trap on a high mountain in Tajikistan. (Panthera/FFI)
Snow leopards are one of the most elusive cats on Earth. Not only is the species endangered, but it is notoriously shy, and much about where snow leopards live in the wild remains mysterious.
So researchers got a big surprise when a set of 11 camera traps installed in a lonely corner of Tajikistan revealed at least five snow leopards were living in the region, including a mother with two young cubs.
The motion-sensing camera traps were set high in the remote Pamir Mountains.
Over the three-month study period, the cameras snapped pictures of a parade of creatures — mountain ibex, Marco Polo sheep (the largest in the world), a rare mountain weasel, a variety of birds and the family of snow leopards. [See photos of the snow leopards and other animals here.]
"This is the first detailed biodiversity survey of the area, and it's very exciting to see so much diversity," lead scientist David Mallon said in a statement. "But the highlight was confirming the presence of what seems to be a healthy population of breeding snow leopards."
Yet when scientists returned to retrieve their camera traps, they found only 10. One had gone missing.
A close look through the piles of pictures revealed the culprits: the two snow leopard cubs.
A companion camera trap to the stolen rig caught the two young leopards red-pawed.
The IUCN, an independent international body that assesses the status of species around the globe, has listed snow leopards as endangered since at least 1986. The big cats, known for their cloudy gray fur and dark spots, are native to Central Asia's high mountains, and their numbers have been decreasing.
Hard numbers are difficult to establish, but it is estimated that between 4,000 and 6,500 snow leopards are left in the wild.
Check out this video of snow leopards from BBC Earth:
Despite the fact that researchers found only five cats, they were encouraged by the results of the survey, which was conducted by British-based Fauna & Flora International with the help of U.S.-based big cat conservation organization, Panthera.
Snow leopards require large swaths of land, and researchers said the region offers a good place to concentrate conservation efforts.
"These survey results demonstrate that there is hope still for the endangered snow leopard," Panthera's Tom McCarthy said in a statement.
The fate of the stolen camera is unknown.
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Kids will be kids no matter the species. I completely agree with Madravenspeak. Trophy hunters may try to capture a bit of 'glory' for themselves by hunting these cats. Let's hope they encounter nothing but cold, hard rocks if they venture out to do harm. I would like to say something a little harsher and wish them a not so nice fate, but I'm trying to be civil ; }
Thank You for sharing, most awsome!!!
@Madravenspeak - Indeed! You put it SOO clearly well, and it rings with truth...Those selfish and disgusting "Mocho men" have an EGO much bigger than their courage or soul... : ((
It is a double edged sword. Just the presence of photographers intruding on the territory of these elusive cats opens their world to human atrocities and the ever present human desire to POSSESS and KILL all the beautiful creatures of the world - the rarer the more the serial trophy killers desire to test their advanced weaponry to show their lack of manhood.
Maybe the missing camera will be found and it will have served as a form of capsule endoscopy. Send it off to a vet school.
this was an important discovery, and hopefully it might help the snow leopards to survive in the wild!!!!
Can we save these beautiful creatures, or will they be just another elusive dream that man has destroyed?
Being elusive, I guess they wanted to maintain their privacy! Clearly amateur burglars, since the cat looked into the camera....