“The first time I saw a snow leopard in the wild was a life-changing experience. I’d just fallen into a cold, fast-flowing river, and had escaped with minor injuries. On the way back, there was a long climb up a very steep slope. Every few minutes, as I would stop to catch my breath, I scanned the opposite slope looking for any kind of movement. Then, in a flash, a rock moved. It was a snow leopard, my first sighting in the wild. It had come after 10 years of searching the Himalayas, trying to see one, which only made it even more magical.

Snow leopards are also believed to the protector of Himalayan Shangri Las or ‘sacred valleys’.

Many people might assume that because the snow leopard lives in such remote areas, it is safe and untouched by the problems many other species face. But human populations are expanding.

What we do know is that the Earth would be a much poorer place if we lost this icon of our high mountains. It would be a failure of humanity. We would have let down our planet. Our future generations would never forgive us, so we must do all we can to save the snow leopard.”

www.snowleopard.org
www.instagram.com/snowleopardtrust

My Big 5

Snow Leopard
Wolf
Marco Polo Sheep
Asiatic Cheetah
Wild Yak