New York, July 14(ANI): A study has discovered a healthy population of rare snow leopards living in the mountainous reaches of north eastern Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor.
The study was conducted by Wildlife Conservation Society experts, Anthony Simms, Zalmai Moheb, Salahudin, Hussain Ali, Inayat Ali and Timothy Wood and appeared in the June 29 issue of the Journal of Environmental Studies.
WCS-trained community rangers used camera traps to document the presence of snow leopards at 16 different locations across a wide landscape.
"This is a wonderful discovery - it shows that there is real hope for snow leopards in Afghanistan.Now our goal is to ensure that these magnificent animals have a secure future as a key part of Afghanistan's natural heritage." Eureka Alert quoted WCS Deputy Director for Asia Programs, Peter Zahler, as saying.
The study has shown that snow leopards are threatened in the region and also documented snow leopards' poaching for their pelts, persecution by shepherds, and the capture of live animals for the illegal pet trade in the Wakhan Corridor.
WCS has developed a set of conservation initiatives to protect snow leopards, including partnering with local communities, training of rangers, and education and outreach efforts.
"By developing a community-led management approach, we believe snow leopards will be conserved in Afghanistan over the long term", lead author and the project's Technical Advisor Anthony Simms said.
Snow leopards have declined by as much as 20 percent over the past 16 years and are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (ANI)
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