Bili Coffee Project:
Last Update – February 2008

Congo coffee project: Can coffee save the elephants?
- Background
- 1st Update 2002
- 2nd Update 2003
- 3rd Update 2003
- 4th Update 2004
- 5th Update 2006

Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary: saving the last of the 'gentle apes'
- Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary - Kinshasa (DRC)
- 20 minute video 'Transfer of the Bonobo's'
- 4 minute video 'The birth of Mbano'

The snowleopard
- Our symbol

The Snow Leopard.

The Wasmoeth Wildlife Foundation has adopted the image of the snow leopard as its symbol since it is one of the endangered wildlife species of the world that mankind needs to protect from possible extinction.

The snow leopard lives in the mountains of Central Asia. It is a rare and secretive animal whose habitat covers about 1,230,000 square kilometers, an area roughly the size of the state of Texas, in the high rugged mountains of twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrqyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and China, which country contains as much as 60% of the snow leopard habitat. The cats have already disappeared from some areas where they formerly lived, such as certain parts of Mongolia.

Much of the snow leopard's habitat is located along international borders, some of them disputed between two countries. To some degree, this situation protects the cats because sensitive border areas are often closed to all public access, making them almost de-facto protected areas. But it also adds to the difficulty of studying snow leopards and establishing their current status and distribution.

The snow leopard is supremely adapted to its mountain home; hunting, raising young, and surviving in the rugged landscape and harsh climate comes naturally. The cat is also the top predator in its ecosystem and has few natural enemies.

However the future of the snow leopard is dark and the main threat to its survival comes from human activities:

Poaching
Snow leopards are hunted illegally for their pelts, which are sought after especially in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia for coats and other garments.

Snow leopard bones and other body parts are also in demand for use in traditional Asian medicine.

Finally, live cats are sometimes captured from the wild for private animal collections in Central Asia. Many of the poachers are local people from snow leopard areas, who often live on just a few dollars a day. For them, poaching may be an essential source of extra income to help them feed their families.

Retribution killings and conflict with herders
Snow leopards sometimes prey on domestic livestock. Herders in snow leopard areas lead precarious economic lives, and their wealth is almost entirely tied up in their herds. The loss of even a single sheep or goat represents a real economic hardship. Herders often retaliate for these losses by trapping or poisoning the cats.

Habitat and prey loss
As humans push ever further into mountainous areas with their livestock, the snow leopard's habitat is degraded and fragmented.

Overgrazing damages the fragile mountain grasslands, leaving less food for the wild sheep and goats that are the snow leopard's main prey.

Legal and illegal hunting for meat and trophies is also depleting prey populations.

Lack of awareness, policy, and implementation
Effective conservation programs depend on the support of local people in snow leopard areas, but many herders are struggling to provide for their families and have little extra time and energy to devote to protecting other species.

Similarly, many snow leopard range country governments are focused on economic development and providing basic services to their citizens, and it is difficult for them to make environmental protection a policy priority.

Political instability, the lack of money to enforce laws and protected area boundaries, and the difficulty of catching poachers in the snow leopard's habitat exacerbate the situation.

For more information visit www.snowleopard.org