Snow Leopards YOUR ADOPTION UPDATE • SPRING 2017

Snow leopards YOUR ADOPTION UPDATE • SPRING 2017

TRIPLE S O A L I N S I D

EARTH HOUR MAKE YOURS MATTER TREAT WHY YOU LOVE SNOW LEOPARDS NEWS OF ALL THREE COLLARED MEET SOME YOUNG PROTECTORS SNOW LEOPARDS

FEBRUARY 2015 • 1 SNOW LEOPARDS

HENJ YOU’LL BE DELIGHTED TO KNOW THAT GC U N N A G LAPCHHEMBA’S COLLAR IS SENDING REGULAR SIGNALS, A K

O TELLING US HOW FAR SHE TRAVELS, THE KIND OF A N E S E R HABITAT SHE PREFERS AND WHETHER SHE’S MOVING R A VATION CLOSE TO PEOPLE’S VILLAGES 8 YEARS Checking the camera traps Handsome Ghanjenjwenga is around eight years old now, making him one of the oldest of rubbingOmikhangri his head your adopted snow leopards. With your support we’ll go on working to help ensure YOUR FIELD they can all live long and healthy lives. REPORT

COMPILED BY SAMUNDRA SUBBA OF WWF-NEPAL. SAMUNDRA IS ALSO A female with A MEMBER OF THE SNOW LEOPARD her two cubs CONSERVATION COMMITTEE, WHICH YOUR ADOPTION SUPPORTS Lapchhemba’s mother Ghanjenjwenga

In your first update of 2017, I’m thrilled to bring villages. We can use this information to plan the big cats turned out to be our old pals, CAT COMMUNICATION you news about all three collared snow leopards important conservation projects. Omikhangri and Ghanjenjwenga. It was great to see these magnificent males looking Some of the camera trap pictures show Omikhangri So far, Lapchhemba has been ranging far and so fit and well. rubbing his head against a rock and ast year, beautiful Lapchhemba became wide. She covered over 685 kilometres in 137 then spraying urine – here’s why the first female snow leopard in Nepal 2.5 YEARS days and, at one point, reached the dizzy height Studying the pictures, we saw that to be fitted with a special hi-tech collar, of 5,847 metres above sea level. Perhaps she’s Omikhangri is still wearing his tracking now leopards have scent glands around equipped with GPS technology. I hope SNOW LEOPARDS exploring different places before choosing where collar, although it stopped sending signals S their whiskers, cheeks, chins and you enjoyed reading the special report about to settle down and start breeding. This could a while ago. Ghanjenjwenga’s collar has now IN THE WILD lips, as well as at the base of their tails and this in your autumn update. Previously, we’d well be back in her birthplace, Yangma, where dropped off (the collars eventually BEGIN BREEDING between their toes. So, by rubbing his head, successfully collared two males, Omikhangri her mother still lives. We were thrilled to find stop working and detach after a certain Omikhangri was leaving his own signature and Ghanjenjwenga. images of Lapchhemba’s mother during our amount of time) but the information it’s FROM AROUND smell for other snow leopards to find. Spraying latest camera trap exercise. given us will be invaluable for our PACY PAWS TWO-AND-A-HALF urine does pretty much the same thing. It’s the conservation efforts. The more we learn FRIENDS REUNITED big cats’ way of saying “Keep out, this is my You’ll be delighted to know that Lapchhemba’s YEARS OLD about these incredible animals the better territory” or “Hello, collar is sending regular signals, telling us how In total, the cameras captured images of six we can help protect them, so thank you for Omikhangri leaves his scent I’m ready to breed”. far she travels, the type of habitat she prefers individual snow leopards, which is a great result. helping to support this crucial work

and whether she’s moving close to people’s And we couldn’t believe our luck when two of IMAGES © WWF-NEPAL, INSET TOP LEFT© REBECCA MAY / WWF-UKthrough your adoption.

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2 • YOUR SNOW LEOPARDS ADOPTION UPDATE FEBRUARYSPRING 2015 2017 •• 3 © LYNN M. STONE / NATUREPL.COM action toprotecttheenvironment,at: to getgovernmentstakeambitious Read thereport,andsignourpetition resilient planetforpeopleandnature. But withyoursupport,wecancreatea mass extinctionsincethedinosaurs. pushing lifeonEarthtowardsthebiggest together withclimatechange,maybe such asdeforestationandpollution, edition showedthathumanactivities health ofouramazingplanet.The2016 wwf.org.uk/lpr BUT WECANTURNTHINGSAROUND POPULATIONS COULDDECLINEBY 67%BY 2020. UNLESS WETAKE URGENTACTION, WILDLIFE O leading, science-basedlookatthe ur LivingPlanetReportistheworld’s

SNOW S D R A P O E L W O N S R O F

& OTHER SPECIES

SNOW LEOPARDS YOUR NEWS WHY YOU LOVE SPACE BIGGER SNOW PICTURE CAMERA TRAPPING IN MONGOLIA’S CHEKHACHEV MOUNTAIN LEOPARDS RANGE HAS ESTIMATED THAT 10 SNOW LEOPARDS LIVE THERE FURRY FEATURE © WWF-NEPAL IN YOUR AUTUMN UPDATE, WE ASKED YOU TO TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE THE HIMALAYAN ur colleagues at WWF-Mongolia placed 54 camera Our short but fascinating , O traps in Siilkhem National Park, which lies on the border camera trap footage shows ABOUT YOUR ADOPTED ANIMALS, FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN A FANTASTIC By Quinn HIDDEN BEAUTY aged 10 between Mongolia and Russia. Previously, nine snow leopards one of the 10 beautiful POLAR BEAR PRINT SIGNED BY SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH were thought to live in this area, and we hoped the camera traps, snow leopards in its Magnificent, majestic cat. along with improved survey methods, would produce a more mountain home. You can A huge and heartfelt thank Shy, cautious, evasive. accurate and updated estimate. We weren’t disappointed. watch it now, at: TOP OF THE CLASS you to everyone who took part, Camouflaged on rocky peaks and In three months, the cameras captured over 165 images and Four years ago, Charlotte took out wwf.org.uk/mongolia we only wish we could show snowy ledges. videos of snow leopards, along with other amazing wildlife a snow leopard adoption for her Penetrating ochre eyes. such as grey wolves, Siberian marmots, Eurasian lynx all of your wonderful entries. primary school pupils. Learning and wolverines. Armed with this fantastic evidence of the And congratulations to our about the big cats, other wildlife, Wild. park’s biodiversity, we can help ensure strong measures are winners, Charlotte Simpson and amazing conservation heroes We need them like they in place to manage and conserve it. like Sir David, has really inspired and her pupils at Ashmead need us the children. They all wrote brilliant to remind us Combined biographies about him and we think School. they’re really worthy winners. that the world is full of wonder Champion children and beauty hides in the harshest places The win ners In western Mongolia, local children have been speaking I like snow leopards because they are nice and soft, up to protect snow leopards from dangerous snares I like snow leopards because they are the winter colours, erders in the Altai mountains mainly use They persuaded lots I like snow leopards because they have lots of spots, heavy metal snares (called jaw traps) to of people to hand their snares catch marmots and other animals for meat. over to WWF, in return for useful household And I like spots But sometimes, if a snow leopard has killed their items, such as milk cans. livestock, a herder might set a snare to catch the ARE YOU A A poem, by Freddi, Many of the children campaigned far and wide. individual responsible. This has left some snow WILDLIFE CHAMPION? aged 4 They staged a self-written play, and sent a signed leopards with horrific injuries, as discovered on petition to the governor of Khovd province, Have you gone the extra camera trap images captured by our colleagues at asking for the snares to be banned. Several of them mile to help a wild WWF-Mongolia. Fortunately, these incredible big visited the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, to animal in need, or do cats have some amazing young allies. you know someone meet the environment minister, and the campaign who has? We want to INSPIRED TO ACT was broadcast on national TV. A watercolour painting hear from you, and Charlotte and class 6CS After watching a video about the snares and As a result, in April last year, the minister called your story could be featured in a future by Isabella, aged 11 the danger they pose to snow leopards, 200 local for all provinces and protected areas in Mongolia update. Email us at: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU DO KEEP SENDING US YOUR PICTURES, POEMS schoolchildren decided to take action. First, to start similar campaigns to eliminate the snares. they surveyed local community members to We think these determined young conservationists myadoption@ AND MESSAGES ABOUT YOUR ADOPTED ANIMALS. THEY COULD BE FEATURED IN FUTURE

IMAGES © WWF-MONGOLIA © IMAGES find out how many jaw trap snares they owned. are the cat’s whiskers! wwf.org.uk UPDATES. EMAIL US AT [email protected]

6 • YOUR SNOW LEOPARDS ADOPTION UPDATE COVER © FRANCOIS SAVIGNY / NATUREPL.COM, BACK COVER © THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.COM COVER BACK / NATUREPL.COM, SAVIGNY © FRANCOIS COVER • EARTH HOUR YOUR SNOW LEOPARDS ADOPTION UPDATE MAKE YOURS MATTER

O N E Y E N D T O I C ON 25 MARCH 2017, 8.30PM L TELL US HOW YOU CELEBRATED, AND YOU COULD K N E I WIN FOUR TICKETS FOR T DO SOMETHING GREAT THE COCA-COLA LONDON EYE S W Email your stories marked ‘Earth •

TO SUPPORT ACTION ON Hour Comp’, along with your name, SPRING 2017 address and phone number to CLIMATE CHANGE [email protected] The closing date is Friday 7 April 2017. For terms and conditions, visit: wwf.org.uk/compterms STARGAZE Forests are great places to see the stars. Check out The Forestry Commission’s stargazing guide, with its fun activities, top tips and more, at: forestry.gov.uk/stargazing SPREAD THE WORD Celebrate Earth Hour’s 10th anniversary by asking 10 friends and family to join in. You could also encourage your community and local clubs. Find further info at: wwf.org.uk/myearthhour

As well as helping to safeguard snow leopards, your adoption supports our other vital work to help protect our beautiful

planet and its wildlife. Thank you. WWF.ORG.UK

For a future where people and nature thrive wwf.org.uk

8 • FEBRUARY 2015