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Valkanas, M.M.
Conservation geneticist uses scat to gain insight on the elusive snow leopard
2020  D.U.Quark (4): 50-54

Snow leopards (_Panthera unica_) are charismatic big cats that can be found in 12 countries across Central Asia. What is a charismatic animal? Charisma, in the context of conservation biology, refers to a species that is well known to the public and bears a significant conservation concern because it garners special attention and support (Home et al., 2009). Until recently, snow leopards were on the endangered species list and have served as the face of many conservation campaign efforts. While they are no longer listed as endangered globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), snow leopards remain at risk in the wild, and remain endangered in many countries. Despite snow leopards being a well-known animal, much remains to be discovered about these beautiful big cats. A large portion of snow leopards live in isolated, high altitude environments across the Tibetan Plateau. They are masters of camouflage, making them difficult to see and even harder to study. It requires patience and dedication to travel to remote locations of the world, without any guarantees that you will find what you are looking for. Conservation geneticist, Charlotte Hacker, has centered her graduate thesis work around this challenge. Hacker, a Ph.D. Candidate in Dr. Jan E. Janecka's lab at Duquesne University is currently in China on a Fulbright Scholarship where she is working with the Chinese Academy of Forestry to better understand snow leopard populations and the ecosystem in which they live.

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