Seeming as all thats been on the news recently is depressing news of hurricanes and terrorist attacks i decided to find a more happy story to report on so the news isn't completly sad and depressing.
The beautiful Snow leopards are no longer on the Endangered list. The Snow Leopards were on the endangered animals list since 1972, the reason they were placed on this list is due to hunters and farmers killing these animals, farmers would be doing it to protect their livestock because the animals are how they earn their living. Hunters would be doing this just for fun or to show of to people that they have managed to kill a beautiful animal.
The snow leopard isn't off the list completely its only been downgraded one catagory, from Endangered to Vulnerable this is still a massive step for the protection of these animals atleast its heading in the right direction!
Quote:
The decision was announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the global standard for assessing extinction risk.
Experts have warned that the species still faces serious threats from poaching and habitat destruction.
^A baby snow leopard pictured at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin ^
Being classed as "vulnerable" means a species has under 10,000 breeding pairs left.
The Snow Leopard Trust disagrees to the status change and wants to challenge the change with the IUCN as they believe it could have "Serious consiquences" for the species.
The status change followed a three-year assessment process by five international experts.
Dr Tom McCarthy, who runs the Snow Leopard Programme at big cat charity Panthera, was one of them.
Quote:
"To be considered 'endangered,' there must be fewer than 2,500 mature snow leopards and they must be experiencing a high rate of decline," he explained.
"Both are now considered extremely unlikely, which is the good news, but it does not mean that snow leopards are 'safe' or that now is a time to celebrate.
"The species still faces 'a high risk of extinction in the wild', and is likely still declining - just not at the rate previously thought."
The leopards now face another danger, Climate change. Warmer temperatures are threatening to shrink the habitat the snow leopards live on and weaken their struggle against extinction yet again.
- Conservation charity WWF says more than a third of the animal's mountain living areas could become uninhabitable because of climate change -
WWF says that the animal is threatened not just because of climate change but also because of a combination of other factors including:
***Habitat fragmentation: the snow leopard's habitat especially in the eastern Himalayas - is being increasingly encroached upon by humans***
***A decline in natural prey, resulting in snow leopards sometimes attacking livestock, which can result in local people killing them***
***Illegal wildlife trade: Snow leopards are being increasingly poached for their body parts***
Adopt a snow leopard here:
https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-snow ... lsrc=aw.dsIf you want to read more on this check these links out. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34616494
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41270646
https://www.snowleopard.org/frequently-asked-questions-on-snow-leopards-red-list-status/
Sunny<3
