KATHMANDU, Nepal-Apart from whole human settlement and nature, the climate change has affected wildlife especially snow leopards and their habitants, according to snow leopard experts and stakeholders. They have also warned that the existence of snow leopard may be declined at any time, if any appropriate measure to save this rare creature is not adopted on time.
Also known for its timid nature, the habitants of this beautiful creature are normally ice capped peak and upper region of mountains. However, their habitants in nature are likely to decline with the increased melting of ices in Nepalese peak in the latest days due to the climate change.
‘The habitant of snow leopard is likely to vanish at any time as the snow capped peaks have been continuously melting in high rate owing to climate change,’ we should be aware on time,’ Thursday’s edition of Nepali National daily newspaper Rajdhani quoted Dr Som Ale as saying.
According to Dr. Ale, the actual figure of this creature is yet to find out even though it is assumed that nearly four hundreds of snow leopards are roaming in the upper belt of mountainous region in Nepal. He admitted it is difficult to accumulate the exact number of this beautiful big cat.
According to Maheshore Dhakal, an ecologist at National Park and Wildlife Conservation Department (DNPWC), the number of snow leopard in Nepal is being decreased. ‘Due to the lack of ice and adequate food required for this creature, snow leopard is being decreased day by day,’ Dhakal said.
However, a recent study conducted by DNPWC hinted out that there are 400 to 500 snow leopards in Nepal. The Department is studying major five habitants of the snow leopard in the country. According to Dr. Ale, who also involved in the study in Mustang district, they are studying with the Camera Trapping Technology after preparing density of foot trace, available habitants, food and mathematical relation of the number of snow leopard.
Ecologist Dr. Dhakal also links lacking of food for this big cat with the impact of climate change. Dhakal stressed the need to launch leopard friendly programme as the climate change laid impact on the food and habitants of wildlife adding that the other wildlife were also likely to displace following the impact.
Stating that seeking for the new habitant was necessary by the wildlife, animal spotted in terai region (lower belt of Nepal) have now seen in mountainous region is an instance of climate change adding that it has affected biological diversity beside human being.
In the meantime, the government is all set to come up with an effective plan to preserve snow leopard in the forth coming international summit of the concerned nations. The government has prepared a seven-point plan on better conservation of snow leopards to present at an upcoming Global Snow Leopard Conservation Conference in Kyrgyzstan, an official at the Department informed last week.
The conference going to be held in October will focus on increasing the number of snow leopards in the 12 countries including Nepal, where the big cat is found.
EvK2CNR, an Italian based renowned scientific research agency, in collaboration with the Department and Sagarmatha National Park had also conducted research on the endangered animal for many years at Khumbu region.
