WCN Wildlife Conservation Network | Snow Leopard Conservancy

Dr. Rodney Jackson

With almost thirty years of experience in the field, Dr. Rodney Jackson is the leading expert on snow leopards and their habitat. He received the 1981 Rolex Award for Enterprise for his groundbreaking radio-tracking study of snow leopards in Nepal. He was the first to radio collar a snow leopard in the wild and pioneered the standardization of snow leopard tracking methods.

Watch Dr. Rodney Jackson's
2012 Expo Presentation

Snow leopard pelt, Photo: Rodney Jackson

Threats

The strikingly beautiful snow leopard remains one of the world's most mysterious cats. Rarely sighted, it inhabits the high mountains of Central Asia over an expansive twelve-country range. Although snow leopards pose no threat to humans, they are hunted as a result of preying on livestock. They are also endangered due to loss of habitat and poaching for their pelt and bones.

Constructing a predator-proof corral, Photo: SLC India Trust

Solutions

The Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) engages local people in a discussion of their needs and ideas on how to live harmoniously with snow leopards. SLC builds upon traditional beliefs and empowers communities to benefit economically by maintaining a balanced ecosystem for the snow leopard. Employment, education and alternative-income projects, such as tourist homestay lodging, are the cornerstone of SLC's success.

Great Progress for SLC in Bhutan

Wangchuk, a yak herder in Bhutan, met with snow leopard conservationists for the first time when he was only seven. He continued to meet with the conservationists every time they came to his village. Now, seventeen years after his first meeting, Wangchuk has achieved a conservation milestone of his own. He captured the first ever shot of three snow leopards together.

The photo, taken using a camera trap provided to Wangchuk last summer, offers proof that snow leopards are breeding and thriving in Bhutan. More

Three snow leopards in Bhutan, Camera-trap photo by Wangchuk

Three snow leopards in Bhutan, Camera-trap photo by Wangchuk