Newsademic British English edition 260

n o w
 
le o p a r d
 
r eport
The Snow Leopard Trust was set up 
over 30 years ago. Based in the city 
o f Seattle, in the USA, it works to 
protect snow leopards living in the 
wild. Last year, on 23rd October, 
the Trust organised the first Interna­
tional Snow Leopard Day. This day 
was chosen because it is the anni­
versary o f an important meeting that 
took place in Bishkek, the capital of 
Kyrgyzstan, two years ago.
Snow leopards are found in 
Central and South Asia. Officials 
from 12 Asian countries where the 
leopards live attended the Bishkek 
meeting. These countries are: Af­
ghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, M ongo­
lia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Ta­
jikistan, and Uzbekistan. At the

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29th October 2015 
N e w s a d e m ic .co m ™
 - British English edition 
page 
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meeting all the officials agreed 
to protect snow leopards. This 
agreement is now known as the 
Bishkek Declaration.
The World Wide Fund for N a­
ture (WWF) has written a report 
about snow leopards and climate 
change. It released, or published, 
the report on 23rd October, or on 
International Snow Leopard Day. 
The WWF is also known as the 
World Wildlife Fund. It works to 
conserve, research and restore the 
natural environment in many parts 
o f the world. Snow leopards are 
an endangered species. The WWF 
says that climate change in Central 
and South Asia is likely to further 
reduce their numbers.
Snow leo p a rd
Snow leopards are smaller than 
other types of leopard such as those 
found in Africa. They have pale-col­
oured fur with dark grey and black 
spots. Snow leopards are rarely seen. 
This explains why they are known 
as the ‘ghost o f the mountains’. The 
animals live in remote snowy areas. 
Here, because o f the colour o f their 
fur, they are difficult to spot. The 
total number of snow leopards liv­
ing in the wild is now thought to be 
between 4,000 and 6,000.
The leopards have evolved to 
survive in the cold. They have short 
ears, which reduces heat loss. Their 
paws are very wide, so they can 
walk on top of the snow without 
sinking. Snow leopards’ fur, which 
helps to keep them warm in freezing
temperatures, can be over 12 centi­
metres (five inches) long.
Snow leopards are solitary ani­
mals. So, except when a female is 
looking after its cubs, the animals 
live on their own. The leopards are 
normally found at high elevations, 
or between 3,000 to 4,500 metres 
(9,800 to 14,800 feet). They are 
hunters and feed on types of wild 
goat and sheep as well as smaller 
mammals and birds. In recent 
years, herders in these areas have 
increased the number of their goats. 
Hair from these goats is used to 
make cashmere wool. The goats eat 
large amounts o f grass. The animals 
that snow leopards prey on are de­
clining. This is because there is less 
grass for them to eat.
The WWF report says that 
warming temperatures are melting 
the snow. As it melts, grass and 
other plants are growing higher 
and higher up the mountainsides. 
The goatherds are therefore mov­
ing into the places where the leop­
ards live. If a snow leopard attacks 
these animals, the goatherds shoot 
at them.
The WWF warns that climate 
change in Central Asia could affect 
people as well as snow leopards. 
Many rivers are fed by melting snow 
in the mountains where snow leop­
ards live. Over 300 million people 
rely on these rivers for their water. 
If more and more of the snows melt, 
these rivers will contain much less 
water in future years. □
F