Snow leopards face threats from prey depletion, retaliatory killing, and poaching; coexistence programs that protect both leopards and livestock communities offer the best path forward.
Snow leopard welfare is deeply intertwined with human livelihoods in some of the world most remote and economically marginal communities. Leopards killed in retaliation for livestock predation experience acute suffering from poorly targeted poisoning, trapping, and snaring. The individual welfare cost of retaliatory killings — which are often slow and painful — adds to the conservation harm of population loss. Coexistence programs address both simultaneously: by reducing depredation through predator-proof corrals and compensating losses through insurance schemes, they remove the economic incentive for retaliatory killing. These programs respect both the welfare of individual snow leopards and the genuine hardship of pastoralist communities, creating partnerships rather than adversarial conservation.