Camera trap networks across the Himalayas have transformed snow leopard welfare monitoring by enabling population assessment without the stress of capture and collaring.
Traditional GPS collaring requires capture, immobilisation and equipment fitting — all involving welfare costs. Camera trap monitoring eliminates these costs while providing population data. Individual identification from coat patterns allows demographic monitoring without intervention. Community ranger involvement in camera networks provides livelihood incentives for coexistence with snow leopards, directly reducing retaliatory killing and improving welfare at population scale.