New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): A new survey has confirmed that snow leopards, one of the world’s most elusive big cats, are not only surviving but thriving as a resident population in Jammu and Kashmir throughout the year. The findings mark a significant milestone for high-altitude biodiversity conservation in India.
Previously, snow leopard sightings in the Himalayas were largely anecdotal, with limited verifiable evidence except for fleeting camera trap footage. The recent landmark study, conducted by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Department, used systematic camera trapping between 2022 and 2025 across the Kishtwar Himalayas under the nationwide Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) protocol, with support from the Royal Enfield Social Mission.
Shahid Hameed, Wildlife Research and Project Coordinator at NCF, said, “We started the project in 2022 and confirmed the presence of snow leopards in the UT of J-K. The 2024-25 phase recorded them during winter months, confirming year-round residency.”
The study identified at least 12 adult snow leopards, with an estimated presence of up to 20 individuals, including a mother with cubs, confirming active breeding. Over 3,000 camera trap nights across Kishtwar High Altitude National Park (KHANP), Paddar, and Zojila provided photographic records of the cats navigating high-altitude landscapes, even under snow accumulation of 10-12 feet.
Snow leopards in India are estimated at 718 individuals, roughly one-ninth of the global population, which ranges between 4,000 and 6,500, according to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP). The study also documented 16 other mammal species, including the rare Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan wolf, common leopard, Kashmir musk deer, stone marten, pika, Asiatic ibex, and red fox.
The research also highlighted community-based challenges, such as livestock depredation and crop damage, which influence local attitudes toward wildlife. Outreach workshops reached over 1,200 participants, including students and frontline forest staff, promoting biodiversity awareness, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and conservation education.
Hameed emphasized the importance of landscape-level conservation strategies aligned with India’s Project Snow Leopard and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. “We aim to monitor snow leopards across space and time, understand their use of landscapes, and devise appropriate conservation interventions to safeguard these apex predators and their habitats,” he said.
The study underscores that despite threats like climate change, habitat degradation, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict, snow leopards in Jammu and Kashmir are resilient, offering renewed hope for the conservation of high-altitude ecosystems in the region.
About The Author
