Snow Leopard in Nepal: Population, Range and the 397 National Estimate

Nepal has an estimated 397 snow leopards (Panthera uncia), the headline figure from the country's first comprehensive national population estimate, released on 20 April 2025 (Baishakh 2082 BS). The estimate carries a 95% confidence interval of about 331 to 476 individuals, meaning the true number very likely lies within that range rather than being a single exact count. Before this, Nepal had only a rough working figure of 300-500 animals extrapolated from scattered local studies.

The 397 estimate was produced by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) together with the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), WWF Nepal, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Tribhuvan University, Nepal Engineering College and other partners. It synthesises field surveys carried out between 2015 and 2024, giving Nepal the most robust snow leopard number it has ever had.

The corresponding mean density is about 1.56 snow leopards per 100 square kilometres. Because the cat is solitary, elusive and lives across vast, rugged terrain, densities are naturally low, so even a healthy population translates into a modest total number spread thinly across the high mountains.

The estimate is not a single nationwide headcount but a consolidation of nine study areas across Nepal's snow leopard range. These covered seven protected areas plus two important habitats outside the protected-area network, standardised so their results could be combined into one national figure.

Researchers relied on two complementary, non-invasive methods. Camera traps placed along ridgelines and travel routes photograph individual cats, which can be told apart by their unique rosette and spot patterns. Genetic analysis of scat (droppings) collected in the field then identifies individuals from DNA, helping confirm numbers and avoid double-counting. Spatial capture-recapture statistics and habitat-suitability models were used to turn these detections into density and abundance estimates.

The work followed the Population Assessment of the World's Snow Leopards (PAWS) protocol under the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), so Nepal's numbers can be compared fairly with other range countries. Importantly, the survey covered only about 43% of Nepal's potential snow leopard habitat; large areas such as Dhorpatan, the Dhaulagiri region and parts of Api Nampa remain under-surveyed, so future work could revise the figure.

Snow leopards live only in the high Himalaya of northern Nepal, typically between about 2,700 and 5,600 metres, and have been recorded as high as around 6,000 metres. They favour steep, broken terrain, rocky ridges, cliffs and alpine meadows above the treeline, where their smoky-grey coat provides near-perfect camouflage against rock and snow. Nepal's total potential snow leopard habitat is estimated at roughly 13,000 square kilometres.

For planning, the government divides this range into three conservation landscapes - eastern, central and western. The 2025 assessment found the western landscape holds the largest share of the population (on the order of 60%), reflecting the extensive high-altitude habitat in the far and mid-west.

The national estimate drew on seven protected areas - Api Nampa Conservation Area, Shey Phoksundo National Park, Annapurna Conservation Area, Manaslu Conservation Area, Langtang National Park, Gaurishankar Conservation Area and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area - plus the Humla-Limi valley and eastern Dolpa outside the protected network. A key finding is that a very large share of snow leopard habitat, and of the cats themselves, lies outside protected areas, which makes community-based conservation and connectivity between habitats essential.

The snow leopard's range spans 12 countries across the mountains of Central and South Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The global wild population is broadly estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with recent assessments suggesting a total in the range of roughly 7,400 to 8,000 animals across all range countries.

Although Nepal contains only about 2% of the world's suitable snow leopard habitat, its estimated 397 cats represent close to 10% of the global population. That gives Nepal the fourth-largest national snow leopard population among the 12 range states, an outsized contribution relative to its small area.

The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; it was down-listed from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2017, a change that remains debated among conservationists. Globally, snow leopards remain threatened by poaching and habitat loss, and their numbers are expected to keep declining without sustained protection.

The snow leopard is an apex predator of the alpine zone, and its most important prey in Nepal is the blue sheep, or bharal (Pseudois nayaur), a wild sheep of the high slopes. Other prey includes Himalayan tahr, musk deer and serow, along with smaller mammals and birds such as marmots and snowcock. Where wild prey is abundant, snow leopards are largely self-sufficient and rarely trouble people.

Because it sits at the top of the food chain, the snow leopard is treated as both an indicator species - its presence signals a healthy, functioning mountain ecosystem - and an umbrella species, meaning that protecting its large home ranges also safeguards prey animals, vegetation, water sources and the wider high-Himalayan environment.

This ecological role is why the snow leopard is central to Nepal's mountain conservation. Maintaining strong wild prey populations, especially blue sheep, is one of the most effective ways to keep snow leopards away from livestock and to reduce conflict with herding communities.

Human-wildlife conflict is a leading threat. When wild prey is scarce, snow leopards may kill domestic sheep, goats and yaks, and herders sometimes retaliate by killing the cats. In remote mountain communities where livestock is a vital asset, a single depredation event can cause serious hardship, driving resentment toward predators.

Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade also endanger the species; snow leopards are killed for their pelts and for bones and body parts used in traditional markets. Habitat loss and fragmentation from infrastructure, unmanaged grazing and expanding human activity further squeeze their range, while a decline in wild prey undermines the whole system.

Climate change is an intensifying, long-term threat. Warming shifts the treeline upward and alters alpine habitats, potentially shrinking and fragmenting the cool, high-elevation zones snow leopards depend on. Combined with only partial habitat protection - a large portion of the range lies outside protected areas - these pressures make coordinated, cross-border and community-based conservation critical.

The snow leopard has been legally protected in Nepal since the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 BS (1973 AD), which lists it as a protected mammal; killing, injuring or trading the species carries heavy penalties of imprisonment and fines. Internationally, it is listed on Appendix I of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, banning commercial international trade.

Nepal is a committed member of the GSLEP, launched under the Bishkek Declaration of 2013, which unites all 12 range countries. Nepal prepared a Snow Leopard Conservation Action Plan for 2017-2021 and has since adopted an updated Snow Leopard Conservation Action Plan (2024-2030), guided by DNPWC. These plans emphasise research and monitoring with modern technology, improving habitat and corridors, mitigating human-wildlife conflict through community engagement, curbing wildlife crime and strengthening transboundary cooperation.

On-the-ground measures include predator-proof livestock corrals, community-managed livestock insurance and compensation schemes to offset losses, citizen-scientist and herder monitoring, and anti-poaching patrols. The 2025 national estimate itself is a conservation tool: a reliable baseline against which future surveys can measure whether Nepal's snow leopard population is stable, growing or declining.

Snow leopards are famously difficult to see; they are solitary, superbly camouflaged, active mainly at dawn and dusk, and live at low densities across huge, remote terrain, which is why they are nicknamed the 'grey ghost' of the mountains. Even experienced researchers often rely on camera traps and tracks (pugmarks) rather than direct sightings.

The best chances are in the far-flung high-Himalayan reserves: Dolpa and Shey Phoksundo National Park, Upper Mustang and the Annapurna Conservation Area (including the Manang side), the Manaslu region, Humla in the far west, and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in the east. These areas combine strong blue sheep populations with rugged habitat that suits the cat.

Dedicated snow leopard trekking and wildlife-watching, often several days long and reliant on local guides and spotters, is a small but growing niche. Conservationists see well-managed viewing trails as a way to link tourism income to local livelihoods, giving communities a direct stake in protecting the species rather than seeing it only as a threat to livestock.