A conservation survey in Wangchuck Centennial Park, for the first time using camera trapping exercise, records an evidence of snow leopard in the country.
The survey was a part of snow leopard prey base study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund. The survey took two months to complete.
The survey was done by the field staff and conservationist, based on information provided by villagers on the sightings.
Snow Leopards are sparsely distributed in Central and South Asia at an elevation as high as 5,000 metres above sea level. As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature, snow leopards are listed as endangered, with wild population estimating between 6,000- 7,000.
The main threats to snow leopard’s survival are loss of habitat and prey, poaching and human-wildlife conflict.
According to WWF-Bhutan website, the survey will help in the estimation of the population of the prey base of snow leopards, which in turn, will provide information about the likely population of the snow leopard that could be supported.
The traps also recorded some of the snow leopard’s prey such as red fox, Tibetan wolf, Himalayan serow, marmot and musk deer.
