BBC Knowledge April 2017

| PSYCHOLOGY

INNOVATION

THE GHOST

OF THE

MOUNTAIN

SAVING

T

HE snow leopard roams the icy peaks of Asia’s highest

mountains, from the desolate, craggy ranges of Mongolia’s

Gobi Desert to the lofty heights of the Himalayas. Its range is

the size of Greenland and spans 12 countries and more than

40 languages and dialects. In many of them, the elusive big

cat is nicknamed something that would roughly translate to

the “Ghost of the Mountain” – a nod to its secretive nature, and a chilling

reminder of the snow leopard’s uncertain future. Under pressure from

poaching, retaliation killings and the loss of prey and habitat,

the Ghost of the Mountain is at risk of vanishing for good.

Few people have ever encountered a snow leopard in the wild,

and there remain a lot of open questions about its ecology and behaviour.

While we know that at least a few hundred snow leopards die at the hands

of humans each year, we can’t say with certainty how many remain –

estimates range from less than 4,000 to perhaps 7,500 cats.

In the last years, however, advances in technology are allowing

researchers to slowly begin peeking into the life of this most secretive

big cat.

Dr Charudutt Mishra

and Matthias

Fiechter of the Snow Leopard Trust

tell the story of Anu the snow leopard

in Mongolia’s Tost Mountains.

Along the way, there are camera

traps, heart-stopping moments,

despair and hope. The Ghost of

the Mountain captivates

| SNOW LEOPARDS

WILDLIFE

WILDSpecial!

LIFE

58 66 April 2017April 2017