Assessing snow leopard (Uncia uncia) by sign surveys and camera trapping in Northern Pakistan

Abstract

The snow leopard (Uncia uncial) is an elusive carnivore often used as an indicator of human health or a flagship species in conservation programs. Like many other carnivores snow leopard is also an endangered species and needs attention of environmentalists and ecologists for its survival. Its conservation is a challenging issue because it lives in far ranging, large home ranges and its low density population makes difficult to monitor its population. To monitor snow leopards, various noninvasive techniques have been used i.e. camera trapping, sign survey, track plates and Snow Leopard Information Management (SLIM) surveys.