Watch: Rare video of snow leopard hunt in Pakistan indicates healthy ecosystem
Video was captured by wildlife photographer in Khunjerab National Park
Islamabad: A rare video of the world’s most elusive big cat, the snow leopard, hunting and feasting on Himalayan ibex high up in Pakistan’s snowy mountains, released on World Wildlife Day 2021 aims to create awareness about wildlife conservation and threats to their survival.
The majestic snow leopard, called the ‘ghosts of the mountains’, is rarely sighted and hardly photographed. A video is even rarer. This incredible sight was captured in the Khunjerab National Park by Muhammad Osama, a Pakistani wildlife photographer working with WWF-Pakistan.
The photographer followed the ibex herd in the fierce cold with the temperature at minus 18 Celsius while searching for fresh snow leopard pugmarks, which eventually confirmed the presence of big cats in the area. “Capturing this hunt was once in a lifetime experience as it involved hours of tireless tracking, climbing mountains, and withstanding freezing cold temperatures”, Osama said.
The snow leopard hunt film, produced by Nyal Mueenuddin Films, shows a snow leopard sneakily chasing a herd of Himalayan ibex on steep cliffs. After successfully capturing an ibex, the snow leopard can be seen feasting on the carcass and is later joined by two other cats.
“The video shows the elusive cat in its natural habitat hunting for prey, indicating a healthy and thriving ecosystem that supports large populations of Himalayan ibex and snow leopards in the area” says WWF-Pakistan statement issued on Wednesday. The snow leopard and herd of Himalayan ibex spotting “is an encouraging sign, indicating that apex predators such as the snow leopard have enough food to survive on”.
■ There are fewer than 400 in Pakistan, mostly in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
■ They are stealthy predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight and usually hunt at dawn and dusk.
■ Their favoured preys include blue sheep, Argali sheep and ibex.
■ The solitary and elusive big cats play a key role as both top predator and an indicator of the health of its high altitude habitat.
■ “If snow leopards thrive so will countless other species, as well as the millions of people whose livelihoods depend on the rivers flowing down from Central Asia’s mountains,” according to WWF.
Conservation efforts needed
Sharing his comments on the video, Hammad Naqi Khan, director general WWF-Pakistan, said that he hopes it will help create awareness about the incredible wildlife found in Pakistan and our responsibility to protect it. Many species in Pakistan, and globally, face mounting threats due to deforestation and human encroachment which leads to habitat degradation, along with new threats such as unsustainable infrastructure and climate change. It means “The survival of wildlife such as the snow leopard, Indus River dolphin, common leopard, pangolins, brown bear and white-backed vultures hangs in the balance.”
WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 revealed that in less than 50 years, human activity has resulted in wildlife populations plummeting by an average of 68 per cent globally. If serious efforts are not made, some of these animals will head to extinction in the near future. With wildlife constituting a critical part of the ecosystem, this biodiversity loss will result in a planet that cannot support current and future generations of people.
Khan also urged that Pakistan’s government ensure that the existing protected areas in the country should be managed and restored, so that wildlife can flourish in healthy landscapes. He called for a robust conservation strategy to protect Pakistan’s incredible wildlife.