Shafqat Hussain is protecting Pakistan’s elusive snow leopards

Editor’s Be aware: Editor’s Be aware: Name to Earth is a CNN initiative in partnership with Rolex. Shafqat Hussain is a Rolex Awards Laureate.

CNN
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For over 20 years, environmental anthropologist Shafqat Hussain has been working to guard snow leopards in his native Pakistan.

Located within the north of the nation, the Gilgit-Baltistan area is residence to 3 of the best mountain ranges on Earth. This rocky terrain is probably “the perfect snow leopard habitat on the earth,” in keeping with Hussain.

“These magnificent creatures can dwell at (altitudes as much as) 20,000 toes, in rarefied air, in minus 30 levels centigrade,” he says.

Snow leopards prey on species like markhor – wild goats with spectacular screw-shaped horns – and different mountain mammals together with blue sheep, ibex and marmots. Their quick forelimbs and longer hind legs assist them navigate the steep, rocky terrain and allow them to leap as much as ten meters.

However regardless of being so effectively tailored to their mountain residence, snow leopards are beneath risk.

Their numbers are tough to estimate, however IUCN knowledge from 2016 suggests there are round 250 in Pakistan and a complete of round 7,500 snow leopards throughout 12 international locations in Central and South Asia, though a latest report reveals that lower than 25% of their vary has been correctly researched.

However whereas their numbers are small, these elusive predators come into battle with native farmers after they prey on livestock, inflicting “an enormous financial loss” to the farmers, who retaliate by killing snow leopards, Hussain says.

By his non-profit – the Baltistan Wildlife Conservation & Improvement Group – Hussain tracks snow leopards utilizing digicam traps and genetic testing, and works with native communities in 26 villages to resolve this battle. With an estimated 30 to 50 snow leopards dwelling within the area round these villages, his mission is to seek out methods for each people and snow leopards to outlive and thrive.

CNN spoke to Hussain about his experiences defending these lovely massive cats and the way he’s discovered methods for them to dwell alongside native communities.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.

CNN: Regardless of your dedication to snow leopards, you’ve by no means seen one within the wild. Are you able to inform us a couple of shut encounter?

Shafqat Hussain: The primary time I heard a snow leopard roar was nearly 14, 15 years in the past … I used to be conducting surveys with my assistant and we out of the blue heard this roar and our toes simply froze within the ice … You might hear it echoing by way of the valley. It was nearly like a encompass sound system … We had a basic thought the place it was coming from, however as a result of the cat is so properly camouflaged we couldn’t see it. However it was a really exhilarating expertise, simply (to) know that we’re within the presence of this magnificent species out within the wild. I do know they’re there and I get satisfaction out of the truth that they’re watching me, (even) if I’m not watching them.

Are snow leopards harmful to individuals?

There is no such thing as a reported incident of them attacking a human being. So not like frequent leopards or tigers or lions which pose mortal hazard to human life, for some cause, snow leopards by no means assault human beings (however) they do assault their livestock and therefore incur harm. (In Baltistan) dwelling with snow leopards is to dwell with this fixed risk. Ninety-five per cent of those individuals … preserve livestock they usually even have small agricultural fields, and every so often their livestock will get attacked by predators, akin to snow leopards. That basically brings an enormous financial loss in relative phrases for these individuals. So then they retaliate by attacking and killing these predators.

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What methods do you employ to scale back the battle between people and snow leopards?

First is the insurance coverage or the compensation schemes, as a result of there’s numerous demand from native individuals to financially compensate them for his or her losses. Folks argue that they aren’t inherently in opposition to these predators … Their major demand is that if we expect that these lovely predators … are public property and particularly state property, then state and public ought to do one thing about the fee that these animals incur to the native communities.

The opposite technique is to assemble predator-proof corrals (for livestock). We’re additionally implementing a conservation program and attempting to instil conservation ethics within the youthful technology of the native society. In the end you possibly can handle animals … however until we get the human (aspect of the) equation proper, it’s very tough to maintain any conservation effort in the long term. So approaching human-wildlife battle is approaching the issue from the eyes of the native individuals. As an anthropologist, that’s what you’re skilled to do.

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Why is it essential to preserve snow leopards?

Snow leopards are thought-about what we name a keystone predator, that means that they’ve a vital position to play in sustaining the integrity and stability of the ecosystem. So by checking and limiting the variety of herbivores which might be current on this fragile mountain ecosystem, snow leopards can test overgrazing and therefore land erosion and soil erosion that can consequence from it.

Do we have to make more room for nature and different species, like snow leopards?

Sure, I believe we now have to, in any other case we now have little or no likelihood of surviving. It’s now changing into very clear that we can’t ignore that our lives are intertwined with many different lives that exist in nature … I believe an actual adaptation is required on the stage of our pondering. By local weather change, by way of pumping in novel compounds and pollution within the ambiance, by way of genetically modifying nature, human beings have actually altered the very material of what we name nature. We have to open ourselves to the likelihood that this Earth was made not just for Homo sapiens, however for different beings as effectively. And the way can we dwell with these beings in a extra democratic, in a extra fruitful and peaceable manner.