Snow Leopards are part of the Panthera genus, related to other big cat species; lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard. However, unlike these four species, snow leopards are unable to purr! They are native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia with the most common range for them to be found on is the Himalayas. Their thick white-gray coat spotted with large black rosettes allows them to blend in perfectly with their natural habitat thus making them one of the world's most elusive cats. Sadly, they still face the risk of extinction due to being fewer than 7,000 adult snow leopards left in the wild.
The expansion of human settlement, especially livestock
grazing, has led to increaed conflict. To protect their herds and
livelihoods, herders sometimes kill snow leopards in retribution. This may
account for more than half of all snow leopard killings.
Their lives are also threatened by poaching, driven by
illegal trades in pelts and in body parts used for traditional Chinese
medicine. Between 2008 and 2016 alone, one snow leopard has reportedly
been killed and traded every day - 220 to 450 cats per year. The true
extent of the propblem is thought to have even bigger with at least 20% of
their population lost in two decades as a result.
Vanishing habitat and the decline of the cat's large
mammal prey - wild sheep and goat - are also contributing factors. Climate
change is raising the average temperature across the snow leopard's home
range, which scientists believe will shrink the species' alpine habitat
and drive competion with other predators like leopards, wild dogs, and
tigers. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of
Nature classifies snow leopards as vulnerable to extinction.