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Hafizullah, N.; Madad, A.; Ostrowski, S.
Chemical immobilization of two snow leopards (_Panthera uncia_) in Wakhan Dsitrict, September 2013
2013  Full Book

The snow leopard _Panthera uncia_ is a large cat species which occupies alpine and subalpine habitats at altitudes between 3,000 and 6,500 meters above sea level in the mountain ranges of continental Asia. In drier habitats, such as in certain locations in Tajikistan, it is also known to inhabit areas at lower elevations with an abundant prey base. In Afghanistan it is known to occur across the eastern part of the Hindu Kush mountain range and in Pamirs, Wakhan District, Badakhshan Province (McCarthy and Chapron, 2003). Snow leopards are threatened across their distribution range. Poaching for their pelts, overhunting of their natural prey; retaliation by angry livestock owners who have lost livestock due to depredation; and the capture of live animals for the illegal pet trade, have all been documented factors that reduce the survival of snow leopards, and are the focus of conservation initiatives to decrease their occurrence (Simms et al. 2011). As part of a scientific study to document the range use and movements of snow leopards in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Wakhan District, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) captured three specimens in 2012 and equipped them with gps-satellite collars (Simms et al. 2013). The present report documents the continuation of this study by a WCS team of Afghan veterinarians and rangers, and details the results of their capture attempts in 2013.

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