Snow leopards prey on livestock in mountain communities, triggering retaliatory killings that represent the primary human-caused welfare threat to the species.
Snow leopards caught in snares or poisoned after livestock predation incidents suffer severe acute suffering. Injured animals unable to hunt naturally face slow starvation. Cubs whose mothers are killed face abandonment and high mortality. Conflict-zone snow leopards experience chronic stress from human encroachment and persecution. Conservation programs that compensate herders for livestock losses have shown success in reducing retaliatory killing.