{"id":374419,"date":"2026-10-24T13:46:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=374419"},"modified":"2026-10-24T13:46:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:16:36","slug":"snow-leopard-population-assessment-in-india-spai-and-snow-leopard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/snow-leopard-population-assessment-in-india-spai-and-snow-leopard\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) and Snow Leopard"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content-box-green\">\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> India has recorded an estimated 718 snow leopards across the Indian Himalayas, including 477 in Ladakh, according to the country\u2019s first Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"red-h2-box\">About Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_374420\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-374420\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-374420\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Source-ToI-1.jpg?resize=300%2C258&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)\" width=\"300\" height=\"258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Source-ToI-1.jpg?resize=300%2C258&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Source-ToI-1.jpg?w=728&amp;ssl=1 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-374420\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; ToI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (<strong>SPAI<\/strong>) is the <strong>first-ever scientific exercise<\/strong>, which took around <strong>4 years to complete.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Coordinated by:<\/strong> The <strong>Wildlife Institute of India (WII)<\/strong> is the National Coordinator for this exercise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Findings:<\/strong> As per the assessment, <strong>India<\/strong> has an <strong>estimated 718 snow leopards<\/strong> in the <strong>wild<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ladakh (477)<\/strong> has the <strong>highest<\/strong> <strong>number<\/strong> of snow leopard, followed by <strong>Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>India has around <strong>10-15% of global population<\/strong> of snow leopard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"red-h2-box\"><strong>About Snow Leopard<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_280408\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-280408\">\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_280408\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-280408\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-280408 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Snow leopard\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/snow-leopard-1.jpg?resize=1568%2C1043&amp;ssl=1 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-280408\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; BBC Wildlife<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n<table style=\"border-style: solid; width: 100%; height: 799px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 30px;\"><strong>Aspect<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; height: 30px;\"><strong>Details<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 15px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 15px;\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 15px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>It is a <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">species of large cat<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> in the <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">genus Panthera<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> of the <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">family Felidae<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>It is <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">native<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> to the <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It is a <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">top predator<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> in <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">mountain<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> ecosystem.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 169px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 169px;\"><strong>Characteristics<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 169px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>It shows several <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">adaptations<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> for living in a <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">cold, mountainous environments.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Its <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">small, rounded ears<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> help to <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">minimize heat loss<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Its <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">broad paws<\/strong> <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">distribute the body weight<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> for <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">walking<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> on snow, and have <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">fur<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> on their <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">undersides<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> to enhance the <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">grip<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> on steep and unstable surfaces.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Its <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">long and flexible tail<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> helps to <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">balance<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> the cat in the rocky terrain.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 180px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 180px;\"><strong>Habitat<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 180px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>They are <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">distributed<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> across the <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">mountainous landscape of Central Asia<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> that covers different <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">parts of the Himalayas<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> such as <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 510px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 105px;\"><strong>Conservation efforts<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 105px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>The Government of India has <strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">identified<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\"> the snow leopard as a <\/span><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>India is also party to the <strong>Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme<\/strong> since 2013.<\/li>\n<li><strong>HimalSanrakshak:<\/strong> It is a <strong>community volunteer<\/strong> programme, to protect snow leopards, launched in <strong>October 2020<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Project Snow Leopard (PSL):<\/strong> It was launched in <strong>2009<\/strong> to promote an <strong>inclusive and participatory approach<\/strong> to conserve snow leopards and their habitat.<\/li>\n<li>Snow Leopard is included in the <strong>list of 21 critically endangered species for the recovery programme<\/strong> of the Ministry of Environment Forest &amp; Climate Change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 150px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 150px;\"><strong>Threats<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 150px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Loss of natural prey species<\/li>\n<li>Conflict with humans<\/li>\n<li>Illegal trade of its fur and bones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 150px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 150px;\"><strong>Conservation Status<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 150px;\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>IUCN<\/strong> List of Threatened Species: <strong>Vulnerable<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>CITES: Appendix I<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: India has recorded an estimated 718 snow leopards across the Indian Himalayas, including 477 in Ladakh, according to the country\u2019s first Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI). About Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) is the first-ever scientific exercise, which took around 4 years&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/snow-leopard-population-assessment-in-india-spai-and-snow-leopard\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) and Snow Leopard<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10393,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,4182,12039,11834],"tags":[11872],"class_list":["post-374419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-environment","category-knolls","category-species-in-news","tag-9pm-daily-factly","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10393"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374419\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}