Snow leopards are among the most elusive wild cats, living at high altitude across Central Asia where they face threats from retaliatory killing, prey depletion, and climate-driven habitat change.
Snow leopard welfare is intimately connected to the welfare of their prey and to the economic security of the herding communities who share their habitat. A snow leopard that kills livestock to survive when wild prey is depleted faces retaliatory killing — often by poison, which causes slow and painful death. Cubs whose mothers are killed face starvation at high altitude. Prey depletion from overgrazing and hunting leaves snow leopards in nutritional stress that affects body condition and reproductive success. Community livestock insurance programs address the economic driver of persecution by compensating herders for losses, creating financial incentive for coexistence rather than conflict.