Snow leopards face prey depletion as domestic livestock overgrazing degrades high-altitude grasslands and reduces wild prey populations.
Snow leopards suffering prey depletion must range more widely and expend more energy per successful hunt. Livestock predation in response to wild prey decline leads to retaliatory killing, disrupting social territories and orphaning cubs. The cascade from habitat degradation to prey depletion to human conflict represents the primary welfare threat to this species outside direct poaching.