Study begins to determine snow leopard population in Mustang

KATHMANDU: A detailed study has begun in Mustang district to determine the population of the rare snow leopard.

BioCos Nepal, in coordination with the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), Area Conservation Office Jomsom, has initiated camera trapping in the highlands of the region to ascertain the exact number of snow leopards.

According to BioCos Nepal field biologist Buddhibahadur Gurung, the study aims to determine snow leopard numbers, assess the condition of their prey species, understand the status of human–snow leopard conflict, and evaluate the impact of climate change on their habitat.

Fifteen camera traps have already been installed in highland areas including Jhonk, Pudak, Chhengur, Thorong Phedi, Phalyak, Dharkajung, and the Mustang–Dolpa highway section.

Starting today, additional cameras are being installed in the highlands of Syang, Marfa, and Chimang under Gharapjhong Rural Municipality.

Biologists Gurung and assistant Prabin Lama from BioCos Nepal, along with ACAP’s natural resource conservation assistant Deepak Oli, have been deployed for the task.

The team has positioned cameras in potential snow leopard habitats, where they will remain for two months to capture data on snow leopard movement and distribution. “After two months, the cameras will be retrieved, the software updated, and detailed data analyzed,” Gurung said. All collected data will be handed over to ACAP.

BioCos Nepal has been conducting camera trapping and other research on snow leopards in several parts of the Annapurna Conservation Area since 2022, with continuous four-year study already completed in Manang.

This is the first time such an extensive snow leopard research program has been carried out in Mustang.

Upper Mustang is also hosting a PhD student conducting snow leopard research through camera trapping, ACAP Lomanthang chief Umesh Paudel informed.

Despite multiple research attempts, the exact number of snow leopards in Mustang remains unclear. Meanwhile, human–snow leopard conflict has been increasing in recent years.

Snow leopards, driven by changing climate, shrinking grasslands, and drying water sources in the highlands, have begun descending closer to roads and settlements, attacking livestock inside sheds.

As prey species such as the Himalayan blue sheep (naur) move lower, snow leopards follow them, leading to more encounters with humans.

Conservationists warn that ensuring coexistence between snow leopards and local communities is becoming increasingly challenging.

Rising temperatures have also pushed common leopards to move higher, further complicating the ecological balance in the region.