“The ghost of the mountains.” Just the phrase alone brings to mind an elusive, almost eerie creature which pads forward on silent paws, nearly hidden amongst the snow-covered rocks and crags of the cliffside. This ghost, the snow leopard, is an elusive animal that haunts some of the harshest places on Earth. With its thick fur, long tail and large paws, this feline is built for the sheer slopes of its home mountain ranges.
What is a Snow Leopard?
Snow leopards, despite the name, are not true leopards. Nevertheless, they are one of five species of big cat, alongside tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards. They are unusual in that, unlike the other big cats, they cannot roar. They can, however, make a chuffing sound similar to that of a tiger.
The snow leopard can be found high in the mountains of Central, South and East Asia. They are not aggressive toward humans – there are no documented cases of a snow leopard attacking a human.
Snow Leopard Conservation
Because snow leopards are so elusive and their habitat so challenging for scientists, we do not know for sure how many there are in the wild. It is estimated that there are between 4,000 and 6,500 cats in the twelve countries of their range. Despite their non-aggressive nature toward humans, they come into conflict more and more often as time goes by.
Snow leopards are hunted for their pelts, organs and bones. In addition, climate change and human encroachment lead to a loss of snow leopards’ habitat, which then changes their behavior as well as that of their prey. They often move closer to humans and will even begin to prey upon livestock if desperate enough, which often leads to retaliatory killings by the people whose livelihood depends on their livestock.
In Mongolia, the Bankhar dog, an “ancient landrace” of dog that guards and protects herds of livestock from predators. In doing so, they not only protect their livestock and humans, but predators as well.
No Snow Leopards at TCWR?
TCWR’s home to many different cat species, including four of the five big cats. So why don’t we have any snow leopards?
Fortunately, we haven’t had any reason to rescue one. They were never as popular, either in cub petting schemes or as pets, as tigers or even lions. Even if we did rescue one, snow leopards live high in the mountains, and are adapted for subzero temperatures. They would not have the adaptations necessary for the hot, humid summers of Northwest Arkansas.
The snow leopard reminds one of the cold, rocky mountains of their homeland. Their elusive nature and silent ways really do bring to mind their nickname Ghost of the Mountain.
Sources
Header: https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/08/05/128999515/steve-winter
Figures 1, 3: https://davidshepherd.org/species/snow-leopards/facts/
Figure 2: https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/from-tiny-to-mighty
https://www.natureinfocus.in/animals/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-snow-leopards
https://snowleopard.org/snow-leopard-facts/behavior/
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/snow-leopard
https://snowleopardconservancy.org/the-snow-leopard/#biology
*Published by Eryn Meeker on 11/01/2025*