The snow leopard is almost extinct due to poaching and the loss of its habitat, said RSS quoting from a paper presented by Dr. Prahlad Yonzon, a wild life expert.

Changes in migratory patterns of its prey due to global warming has forced snow leopards to hunt domesticated wildlife, and this leads to retaliatory killing from angry farmers.

Although, killing of snow leopards is strictly prohibited in Nepal, this has not deterred poachers as the leopards’ pelts fetch a very high price on the international market.

The snow leopards live in the mountainous regions of central Asia, between the ranges of 3,000 to 5,400 meters.