Kyrgyzstan Snow Leopard Conservation

Snow leopards also known as mountain ghost are among the most endangered big cats on earth.In Kyrgyzstan, there were around 1,400 animals roaming the mountain ranges in the 1980s. Today it is estimate only around 300 snow leopards remain in the country.During the Soviet era, snow leopards were heavily hunted for their furs, but poaching the elusive cats have since been banned by Kyrgyz law in 1999.However, their habitat continues to be encroached upon by humans. To protect high altitude ecosystem, the Kyrgyz government set up nature reserves in different parts of the country where a high population of snow leopards and their natural preys can be detected. The nature reserves serve as a border to barred live stocks from grazing the lands and only authorize personal such as rangers and conservationists are allowed to enter.