Ladakh home to 477 snow leopards, one of world's highest densities of the big cat: Study

New Delhi: Home to 477 snow leopards, Ladakh has one of the world's highest densities of the big cat, representing nearly 70 per cent of India's species population, a study by the union territory's Department of Wildlife Protection has estimated.

Assessing numbers and distribution across an area of 59,000 square kilometres, researchers found that snow leopards occupied over 47,500 square kilometres. Findings are published in the journal PLOS One.

Belonging to the genus 'Panthera' that also includes lions and tigers, a snow leopard's habitat extends across mountainous regions of countries in Asia, such as India, China, Nepal and Pakistan.

Researchers said, "(A) deep-rooted reverence for wildlife among Ladakh's communities, combined with the economic benefits from snow leopard tourism and conflict management strategies, helps sustain some of the world's highest snow leopard densities." Over 60 per cent of the snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in Ladakh were found to co-exist alongside human populations.

The conservation model could be adapted and upscaled across the species' range, the team, including researchers from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and National Tiger Conservation Authority, New Delhi, added.

The study -- the most comprehensive population survey -- puts forth a methodology for tracking these "elusive" big cats the world over.

Gathering data has proved particularly challenging for snow leopards because of their shy nature and a preference for remote, rugged terrain, the researchers explained.

For the estimate, the team surveyed the region for evidence, such as footprints, feces and scratch marks of snow leopards. Presence of other carnivores, such as brown bears and lynx, wild herbivores and livestock were also assessed.

Over 900 camera traps were then set up with perfume sprayed right below the equipment to 'lure' the animals into posing in front of the cameras.

"The curious leopards lower their heads to smell the novel smell and we have our prized photos!" the researchers said.

Photos captured by the cameras were analysed to identify individual snow leopards based on the distinctive pattern of markings on their forehead.

"The snow leopards in Ladakh occupied 47,572 (square kilometres), holding globally highest extensive densities of snow leopards in Hemis National Park (two per 100 square kilometres), Kargil (1.2 per 100 square kilometres), and Leh (one per 100 kilometres), and making one of the world's largest contiguous populations of 477 snow leopards," the authors wrote.

Resource-rich grasslands with a moderate climate and complex terrain tended to be home to a higher number of snow leopards, which is likely due to a greater availability of prey and less human disturbance, the authors said.

The study also generated a national photo library of snow leopards that could help conservationists monitor poaching and trafficking of animal parts.