Snow leopards live in some of the most remote habitats in the world. They call the Himalayan Mountains home, from Myanmar moving west through China, Nepal, India, Pakistan and back east again through Kazakstan, Mongolia and the Gobi Desert. While it is difficult to get exact number, there are an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 snow leopards left in the wild.

Currently the scientific community believes there is only one sub-species of snow leopard. Broadly, the big cats species are considered Panthera and the small cats Felis. The snow leopard does not fit very well into either of these categories and are classified as Uncia.

Snow leopards primarily prey on hoofstock species like blue sheep, ibex, markhor, and argali, but have occasionally gotten into trouble by preying upon the livestock of nomadic farmers in the area. The Snow Leopard Stewardship Project was developed to address those predator-livestock issues. Visit our friends at the Snow Leopard Conservancy for more information.