Latest study counts 15 snow leopards in Manaslu

KATHMANDU: A study team has counted 15 snow leopards in the Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA) in Gorkha district.

According to a team that conducted a snow leopard census in MCA, the area is home to 13 adults and two cubs of the elusive wild cat. The team is led by Dr. Bikram Shrestha, who is associated with the Global Change Research Institute under the Czech Academy of Science.

The team studied snow leopards by installing cameras in areas spanning 2,500 meters to 5,000 meters above sea level. The team set up camera traps in 120 locations in Tsum and Nubri valleys. Sachet Timilsina, who is pursuing a Master’s at the Institute of Forestry, Hetauda, is also on the team.

“We began our study by dividing MCA into two areas – Tsum and Nubri. We conducted the study in Nubri from November 2020 to January 2021 and in Tsum from December 2021 to February 2022,” Shrestha said. “During the two-month study in each area, we counted 15 snow leopards.”

The team set up camera traps in 120 locations in Tsum and Nubri valleys.

The team is now studying the availability of prey for snow leopards in MCA. “Blue Sheep and Himalayan Tahr form the major prey of snow leopards. Both of these species are found in MCA,” Shrestha added.

Experts say snow leopards mark and defend their territories. “A snow leopard does not intrude on another’s territory. If an area has a resident adult, another adult rarely enters that space,” Shrestha said. “However, males can move into areas with resident females.”

According to Shrestha, snow leopard cubs counted in MCA are 6-9 months old.

Shrestha had previously studied the snow leopard population in other areas of Nepal Himalayas. In 2021, he completed his PhD on snow leopards in Sagarmatha National Park and the Annapurna Conservation Area. He has been conducting research on snow leopards since 2004.

Another snow leopard expert, Dr. Madhu Chetri, said the count of 15 snow leopards in Manaslu is satisfactory given the area’s size. “The habitat and prey base in MCA are good, so the population could grow further in the coming days,” Dr Chhetri added.

Snow leopard is an endangered species found in the high mountain ranges of Nepal and several other countries across Central and South Asia. It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species globally. Snow leopards are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973, in Nepal. Its habitat range in Nepal includes the Annapurna, Langtang, Sagarmatha, Manaslu, Kangchenjunga and other high Himalayan regions above 3,000 meters.