Snow leopards found in Afghanistan
About 4,500 to 7,500 snow leopards are thought to live in Central Asia.
July 15th, 2011
10:11 AM ET

Snow leopards found in Afghanistan

Conservationists have discovered a healthy population of snow leopards in northeastern Afghanistan, the Wildlife Conservation Society reports.

Rangers trained by the society used camera traps to find the endangered cats at 16 locations in Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, according to a study that appears in the June 29 issue of the Journal of Environmental Studies.

"This is a wonderful discovery - it shows that there is real hope for snow leopards in Afghanistan," said Peter Zahler, WCS deputy director for Asia programs. "Now our goal is to ensure that these magnificent animals have a secure future as a key part of Afghanistan's natural heritage."

The society estimates 4,500 to 7,500 snow leopards remain in the wild across Central Asia.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has helped fund the study of the economic impact of wildlife and agriculture in Afghanistan, the New York-based society said.

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Filed under: Afghanistan • Animals • Science
soundoff (30 Responses)
  1. Juan'

    I am the real Juan ! Juan Valdez coffee grower extrordinaire ! Behold my greatness ! My coffee es muy bueno ! Muy bueno ! 🙂

    July 15, 2011 at 1:40 pm | Report abuse |
    • I Prefer Energy Pills

      @Juan: Keep your burro's beans out of my cup. The best part of waking up is you away from my mouth.

      July 15, 2011 at 11:12 pm | Report abuse |
  2. gtb

    We've been crawling all over Afghaniistan for 10 years but we've only just found these guys....in 16 locations? And yet we claim to "know" exactly how many polar bears and whales we have. And they say Christians rely on faith!

    July 15, 2011 at 1:51 pm | Report abuse |
  3. JIM

    I love obama and I am a republican!! At first i thought he was worse then terrible, but now my view has changed. He has not raised taxes on families with incomes over 250k (yippie). He flooded the economy with cash, so my stock investments jumped in value. He bot US debt allowing me a 4% loan on a million dollar house. And now he is in talks to cut spending on social programs. He is just as good as the GOP. Next up second vacation home!

    July 15, 2011 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Your opinion....

    ....doesn't mean anything, Beer Hunter.

    July 15, 2011 at 2:06 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Juan'

    my opinion es muy bueno too ! i like tacos y burritos ! OLE !

    July 15, 2011 at 3:54 pm | Report abuse |
  6. jj

    10 four: i find u to be hilarious with the anti-hunting comments. have you ever been to iowa or illinois? those darn deer are everywhere! pretty darn scary when 1 of those big ass things jumps out in front of you while on the freeway! if your lucky the dumb deer missed ur car and saved you and ur loved ones life! thin em out! kill it n grill it baby! yummy if its gutted n cleaned n cooked right

    July 15, 2011 at 6:16 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Beefburger

    WHOOPS! NOW they've done it! The Taliban is totally screwed now! Nevermind the military, they are going to be innundated with Greenpeace and PETA, they are done for!

    July 15, 2011 at 10:46 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Beefburger

    The Carlyle Group...in my pants

    July 15, 2011 at 11:36 pm | Report abuse |
  9. bobcat2u

    Is this another government associated, taxpayer funded endeavor ? We're fighting a war and they're looking for cats ?

    July 16, 2011 at 1:18 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Awww....

    ....is Jazzzzz sweet on Phillip?

    July 16, 2011 at 5:32 pm | Report abuse |
  11. joann

    I,say that is neat.Nevermind,killing them.What,a sight that must be.God,must want them,ther for a reason. JoAnn Bartholomew

    July 16, 2011 at 10:37 pm | Report abuse |
  12. RUFFNUTT

    lets go over there and shoot one and stuff it...

    July 17, 2011 at 8:44 am | Report abuse |
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