India’s First Snow Leopard Survey Counts 718 Across the Himalayas, 477 in Ladakh

India has recorded 718 snow leopards across the Indian Himalayas, 477 of them in Ladakh, according to the first Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI).

Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the findings on International Snow Leopard Day.

THE ‘GHOST OF THE MOUNTAINS’

In a post on X, Singh said the day celebrates India’s dedication to protecting the “Ghost of the Mountains,” as the snow leopard is known. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for biodiversity and said India “continues to lead in high-altitude wildlife conservation.”

Ladakh accounts for 477 of the estimated 718, so about two-thirds of India’s snow leopards live in that one Union Territory.

Singh said the Environment Ministry is committed to securing the species’ future “through habitat protection & community engagement.”

BIG CAT ALLIANCE GETS NEW STATUS

Separately, the government has extended privileges and immunities to the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and its officials under the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said.

A Gazette notification from the Environment Ministry formalised the move.

Yadav said the step reaffirms India’s commitment to international cooperation on big cat conservation. It gives the IBCA the empowerment it needs to function as a global platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and capacity building for big cat conservation around the world.

Conserving big cats, he added, also protects their ecosystems and so the well-being of the planet.

With inputs from ANI