Stalking the mountains at the roof of the world , the enigmatic snow leopard has just had a stay of execution . The International Union for the Conservation of Nature , which assess wildlife as to how good or bad they are faring , has just announced that the bounteous cats are to be downgradedfrom “ endangered ” to “ vulnerable ” .
It is now mean that there are at least 4,000 adult snow leopards still prowling the peaks of the Himalayas , intend that the felid no longer meet the criteria mark by the IUCN for “ endangered status ” . While this is clearly good newsworthiness , the conservationists involved have warn that this does not mean that the cats are doing well or face no threat . They are still declining , just not as chop-chop as we once thought .
The snow leopard has been listed by the IUCN as “ menace ” ever since it was first assessed by biologists back in the 1970s . Living in some of the most remote regions of the world , the cat is notoriously unmanageable to canvass , meaning that official assessments of their number that take place every five years or so are hard to make .
With the recent advent of best engineering science and monitoring system , this has lead tosomething of a conflictamong the scientists who study the beast . Some maintain that the felines are still struggling to survive in their lofty purlieu and recommend snow leopards stay sort out as endangered , while a freestanding mathematical group have successfully argued that there are more of the animals than previously assumed .
“ To be considered ' scupper , ' there must be few than 2,500 mature snowfall leopard and they must be experiencing a high pace of decline , ” Dr Tom McCarthy , who runs the Snow Leopard Programme for the big cat charity Panthera , toldBBC News . “ Both are now considered extremely improbable , which is the good news program , but it does not think that snow leopards are ' safe ' or that now is a time to celebrate . ”
“ The coinage still face ' a high hazard of quenching in the wilderness ' , and is probably still declining – just not at the pace previously though , ” McCarthy stresses .
This is evidently sobering news , but also mean that there is more leeway for conservationists to act to save the beautiful CAT from experimental extinction . The main threats face the creature are that of poach and hunt – as they are singled out for their stunning coat and targeted for round livestock – as well as climate modification , which is driving the Panthera pardus further up the mountains .
Now more than ever it is decisive that efforts are maintained to study and save the most problematic of big cats .
