Four Rare Snow Leopards Spotted on Pakistan’s Northern Peaks

Picture taken from a video recording by Sakhawat Ali in Karakoram National Park shows a group of four snow leopards trekking through deep snow in the northern mountain ranges of Gilgit-Batistan, Pakistan

By Adeel Saeed

PESHAWAR, Apr 21 2025 (IPS) - In a remarkable conservation achievement, four rare and elusive snow leopards have been spotted together in the rugged peaks of northern Pakistan, highlighting the success of the ongoing global efforts aimed at protecting this critically endangered species and preserving its fragile habitat.

On March 13, 2025, animal lovers and wildlife conservationists were stunned by an online video capturing a group of four snow leopards trudging through thick snow in a mountainous landscape.

The video was captured by Sakhawat Ali, a gamekeeper at a remote village, Hushe, in the Central Karakoram National Park in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

“The animals captured in the video were a mother along with her three grown-up cubs lumbering through thick snow over a mountain,” Ali told IPS.

Sakhawat, who has been engaged in wildlife conservation for the last 14 years and has also worked with international wildlife experts and researchers, said he had been tracking the pugmarks (pawprints) of the group of snow leopards in the area for the past few weeks.

“It was unbelievable for me to see four wild cats together and as confirmation, I decided to get close to them for filming,” he recalled.

Ali said he moved close to the animals at a distance of about 250 meters and filmed them, the video now circulating on social media.

Sakhawat mentioned that he had spotted two snow leopards on multiple occasions in different areas of the park, but this was the first time he had ever seen a group of four together.

A Rare and Significant Sighting

“This news is highly welcoming for wildlife conservationists, as it confirms the presence of a thriving snow leopard population in the region and indicates successful breeding conditions for the species,” comments Dr. Muhammad Ali Nawaz, Founding Director of the Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) Pakistan.

“This sighting of a group of snow leopards’ family reflects healthy reproduction, adequate food availability, and, most importantly, effective protection from poaching and hunting of this majestic species,” he says.

Known as “ghosts of mountains,” snow leopards are notoriously solitary, making this group sighting a remarkable event for researchers and conservationists.

Decades of Conservation Efforts Paying Off

This video has conveyed a positive message that conservation efforts are making a difference in Pakistan, where wild species, especially snow leopards, are surviving despite severe threats from poachers, hunters, and killings by locals as revenge for livestock depredation.

According to the Snow Leopard Trust, it is estimated that there are between 200 and 420 snow leopards in Pakistan’s northern provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, he added.

Dr. Ali Nawaz mentioned years-long efforts by SLF and other organizations in the protection of the snow leopard, which is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union of Conservation (IUCN) on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Founded in 2008, SLF has been working with the remote and impoverished mountain communities in Pakistan with a focus on three thematic areas: science, research, awareness, education, and community-based conservation, Dr. Ali told IPS.

Currently, the Snow Leopard Foundation program is engaged with 40,000 households in 50 valleys spanning over a 30,075 km² area across the majestic ranges of the Himalaya-Karakoram-Hindukush.

The program effectively addresses human-wildlife conflicts through creating safety nets (livestock insurance), reducing livestock losses (predator-proofing of corrals), and conservation education, Ali Nawaz went on to say.

Conservation feat, a dividend of Trophy Hunting Scheme

Sakhawat attributed this conservation feat to the dividend of the effective implementation of the Trophy Hunting Scheme.

Launched in 1990 in Gilgit Baltistan with permission from the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), trophy hunting is the practice of hunting wild animals for sport, not for food. It involves hunters paying high fees to target popular species such as Markhor, Himalayan Ibex, Blue sheep, Ladakh Urial, and many more popular species of ungulates, Sakhawat explains.

Under the scheme, 80 percent of revenue generated through the sale of hunting permits to foreign hunters is distributed among communities for carrying out welfare-oriented and local development initiatives.

Through appropriate distribution and proper utilization of funds, the Trophy Hunting Scheme has empowered communities to safeguard endangered species, leading to stronger protection efforts against illegal hunting and poaching.

“Last year our village, Hushe, received an amount of PKR 11.6 million (about USD 41,428) as its share from revenue generated through the Trophy Hunting Scheme,” informed Khadim Ali, Finance Secretary of the Village Conservation Committee.

In the year 2023-24, the Gilgit Baltistan region generated a revenue of PKR 309 million (USD 1,103,571) through the auction of licenses by the Wildlife Department, including four for Astore Markhors, 14 blue sheep, and 88  Himalayan ibex in various community conservation areas.

“The amount received as a share from Trophy Hunting is spent on the welfare of the community by providing educational scholarships to deserving students, establishing a medical care unit in the area, improving the water supply, constructing communication links, distributing uniforms among children, etc.,” Khadim told IPS.

He said the literacy rate is low and due to a paucity of livelihood opportunities, special emphasis is given to the proper education of the younger generation.

In this connection, he continued, a hostel has been purchased through the income from Trophy Hunting scheme in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

The hostel provides free accommodation to students from our village who have migrated to Islamabad for higher education and to those ailing individuals who have to move to big cities for better treatment.

Addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict

“One of the biggest threats to snow leopard survival has been retaliatory killings by herders in response to livestock depredation,” observed Raza Muhammad, Manager Baltistan Wildlife Conservation and Development Organization (BWCDO), a non-profit organization working for the last two decades to conserve snow leopards and resolve human-snow leopard conflict in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.

BWCDO has developed a system under which people register complaints about livestock depredation by snow leopards.

A committee comprising community members visits the site and after inspection, it approves an amount of compensation, which is paid to the affected farmer, thus allaying his reservation and sentiments about killing the beast in revenge, Raza explains.

BWCDO has also built around 70 Predator Proof Corrals which house over 25,000 livestock and protect these animals from attack by snow leopards.

Raza celebrated the rare sighting of four snow leopards captured on film, calling it a major milestone for wildlife conservation in the region.

He emphasized that this remarkable achievement highlights the success of ongoing efforts to protect the majestic snow leopard and its prey, including wild goats.

IPS UN Bureau Report