As the world’s attention turns to the Hindu Kush Himalayan region following the recent avalanche, researchers continue their painstaking work in the Western Himalayas, tracking the elusive snow leopard.
Like the Royal Bengal Tiger in the mainland, the snow leopard is an apex species of the high Himalayas. Yet, much remains unknown about its population and distribution. Although snow leopards are found across the Himalayan region, research has largely focused on the trans-Himalayan landscape - the rain-shadow region bordering the Tibetan Plateau. In the Greater Himalayas, their habitats are often in remote and difficult-to-access areas, making systematic studies challenging. The Greater Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has considerable potential as a snow leopard habitat. Protecting the landscape is important not only for the species but also because its high-altitude ecosystems serve as a freshwater source for millions living downstream.
A recent study by the Department of Wildlife Protection, J&K, and the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) recorded snow leopards across six landscapes - Kishtwar High Altitude National Park (KHANP), Paddar, Warwan-Renai, Thajwas-Zojila, Gurez and Pir Panjal. The report, Status of Snow Leopards and Other High-Altitude Mammals in Jammu and Kashmir with a Focus on Kishtwar Himalayas, was last updated in June 2026 and released in August.
Using the Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) model, researchers identified 21 individual snow leopards in KHANP. The model estimated snow leopard density at 0.35 individuals per 100 sq km, equivalent to about eight adults in the park. Researchers said the estimate provides important baseline data for future monitoring.
For the assessment, 45 camera traps were deployed in KHANP. Besides adults, cameras captured females with cubs, confirming a breeding population. Across the six landscapes, 193 camera traps were deployed.
The teams also documented a range of high-altitude wildlife, including Asiatic ibex, musk deer, Himalayan wolf, brown and black bears, red fox, pika and several pheasant species. The study also recorded the first confirmed presence of the endangered woolly flying squirrel and wild boar in KHANP.
Based on four years of extensive fieldwork, the report highlighted the need to extend conservation efforts beyond protected areas. Researchers recorded human-wildlife conflicts in 76 villages across the region during the study. “The Kishtwar Himalayas emerged as one of the most important landscapes for snow leopard conservation in the region. Long-term scientific monitoring has helped us understand where snow leopards persist and how conservation can be strengthened through partnerships between local communities and organisations,” said MS Jamwal, warden, Chenab Division.
Dr Shahid Hameed, wildlife researcher and conservationist, project coordinator at NCF and Coexistence Champion with the Coexistence Consortium, said scientific evidence would help reshape conservation priorities.
“Our field research over the past few years has established the Kishtwar landscape, despite being only partly formally protected, as a priority for long-term, community-driven conservation. Kishtwar is a vibrant, lived-in landscape where wildlife and people share space, and its conservation significance extends far beyond its boundaries. As one of the few landscapes linking snow leopard habitats across the western Himalaya, protecting the species and habitats is critical for maintaining ecological connectivity and the long-term persistence of wildlife across the region,” Hameed said. The monitoring across the six landscapes has generated one of the largest camera-trap datasets on snow leopards from the Greater Himalayas. Researchers said securing the species’ future in J&K would require sustained monitoring, protection of high-altitude habitats and continued investment in community-led conservation.
Preliminary findings from the ongoing study in Paddar have also confirmed the continued presence of snow leopards across several valleys, including Hagyot, Barnaz, Machail and Darlang.