October 23 is International Snow Leopard Day for the eleventh year. There are only 3,500 to 7,000 of the beautiful speckled cats left, which are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The snow leopard lives in 12 of the most mountainous countries in the world: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Normally, the grayish cats roam at altitudes of 3,000 to 5,200 metres, often stalking high-altitude ungulates such as blue sheep and ibex.
For years, snow leopards were so elusive that only local people ever saw them, rarely and from a distance. With a better understanding of their habits, patient visitors can often recognize them, especially in India and Bhutan.
Last year, the first-ever snow leopard survey in India included 718 cats. Bhutan has 134 snow leopards, while in Nepal the number ranges from 300 to 500.
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