https://news.mongabay.com/2017...nting-in-kyrgyzstan/

Some amazing photos and article in link.

Just an opinion, nothing more, but habitat loss is most likely the major cause of the population decline of Snow Leopards, with "Trophy Hunting" being used as a "ScapeGoat" excuse.

Any species that is as highly specialized as Snow Leopards are going to be affected by changes/loss of habitat more severely than more adaptable species.

Using "their" data, I must have seen every marco in the country on my trip in 2015.

Ski+3

Seems like at that very high elevation you wouldn't have much habitat loss due to human encroachment. It could be poaching of the cats prey animals or a domestic sheep and goat desease that is killing off the cats prey animals. Trophy hunting is not the problem.

I was appalled by what I saw when over there. Over grazing of domestic stock right up the mountains, Corruption seeing not much if any funding from hunting going back into the resource. Over harvest of mature males and the onflow result of harvest of younger males to for-full hunter demand, And illegal harvest of herds for meat by local population was undoubtably going on as well.