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Long recognized as a threat to wildlife, particularly for large carnivores, livestock grazing in protected areas can potentially undermine conservation objectives. The interspecific interactions among livestock, snow leopards (Panthera uncia), and their wild prey in fragile Asian highland ecosystems have been a subject of debate. We strategically deployed 164 camera traps in the Wolong National Nature Reserve to systematically investigate the activities of snow leopards, their primary wild ungulate prey species, and free‐ranging livestock. We found that snow leopard habitat use was influenced by both wild prey and livestock. Blue sheep served as the main wild prey that spatially attracted snow leopards and coexisted with yaks while free‐ranging yaks significantly restricted snow leopard habitat use both temporally and spatially. This study challenges the conventional understanding that livestock indirectly impacts large carnivores by competing with and displacing wild prey. Our findings highlight that free‐ranging yaks within the alpine canyon terrain could directly limit snow leopard habitat use, suggesting a potential risk of grazing in reducing apex predator distribution and jeopardizing their populations. Consequently, managing their coexistence in shared habitats requires a more nuanced approach. Furthermore, our research underscores the importance of further research efforts aimed at enhancing our comprehension of the complex interplay within animal communities and ecosystems. This knowledge will contribute to the development of informed, evidence‐based conservation strategies and policies. We explored the interspecific relations between snow leopard, blue sheep, and free‐ranging livestock. It is shown that the populations of three species reached coexistence through temporal, spatial, or other adaptations of their activities, suggesting the potential risk of grazing in reducing snow leopard distribution.

Two related female snow leopards (Panthera uncia) were diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans of the lateral femoral condyle via radiographs and computed tomography. Lesions were either bilateral (Patient 1) or unilateral (Patient 2). Surgical treatment was performed using an osteochondral autograft transfer system following cartilage flap removal. After a 6-wk recovery period, both animals had a markedly improved gait with mild pelvic limb stiffness. Patient 1 developed intermittent lameness 9 mo postsurgery and Patient 2 had mild lameness 3 yr postsurgery. Because of recurrent lameness, both animals were treated with platelet-rich plasma intra-articular injections and oral gabapentin (Patient 1) or oral meloxicam (Patient 2). Full incorporation of autografts was confirmed with computed tomography (both patients) and arthroscopy (Patient 1 only). Osteochondritis dissecans has been previously reported in snow leopards and these cases represent the first reported use of osteochondral autograft repair and platelet-rich plasma to treat the condition.

The loss of livestock to wild predators is an important livelihood concern among Trans-Himalayan pastoralists. Because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of the region, few studies have been carried out to quantify livestock depredation by wild predators. In the present study, we assessed the intensity of livestock depredation by snow leopard Uncia uncia, Tibetan wolf Canis lupus chanku, and Eurasian lynx Lynx l. isabellina in three villages, namely Gya, Rumtse, and Sasoma, within the proposed Gya-Miru Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh, India. The three villages reported losses of 295 animals to these carnivores during a period of 2.5 years ending in early 2003, which represents an annual loss rate of 2.9% of their livestock holdings. The Tibetan wolf was the most important predator, accounting for 60% of the total livestock loss because of predation, followed by snow leopard (38%) and lynx (2%). Domestic goat was the major victim (32%), followed by sheep (30%), yak (15%), and horse (13%). Wolves killed horses significantly more and goats less than would be expected from their relative abundance. Snow leopards also killed horses significantly more than expected, whereas they killed other livestock types in proportion to their abundance. The three villages combined incurred an estimated annual monetary loss of approximately $USD 12,120 amounting to approximately $USD 190/household/y. This relatively high total annual loss occurred primarily because of depredation of the most valuable livestock types such as yak and horse. Conservation actions should initially attempt to target decrease of predation on these large and valuable livestock species.

雪豹(Panthera uncia)的皮毛具有较强的隐蔽性,红外相机监测图像中雪豹和背景较为相似,而且监测图像中雪豹的尺寸大小不一,为了提升雪豹检测的准确率,采用3个不同的检测器进行级联,在特征提取网络中引入特征金字塔结构改进Cascade R-CNN模型实现了雪豹的自动检测。以项目组采集的雪豹监测图像为数据集的评估结果表明,无论是白天/黑夜图像,还是多种不同尺寸雪豹同时出现的图像,该方法都可以较好地实现雪豹的识别及定位,平均准确率达93.0%,对比Faster R-CNN和SSD-300(Single Shot MultiBox Detector 300)分别提升了9.0%和3.9%。将该模型应用于雪豹监测图像的自动筛选,可以极大地提高工作效率。

The breakthrough - announced on 6 March by the de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences in Dallas, Texas - is an early technical success in Colossal's high-profile effort to engineer elephants with woolly mammoth traits. Endangered species In 2011, Jeanne Loring, a stem-cell biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and her colleagues created iPS cells from a northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) and a monkey called a drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), the first such cells from endangered animals2. Embryonic-like stem cells have since been made from a menagerie of threatened species, including snow leopards (Panthera uncia)3, Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii)4 and Japanese ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japónica)5.

Background Long-term persistence of species with low genetic diversity is the focus of widespread attention in conservation biology. The snow leopard, Panthera uncia , is a big cat from high-alpine regions of Asia. However, its subspecies taxonomy, evolutionary history, evolutionary potential, and survival strategy remain unclear, which greatly hampers their conservation. Results We sequence a high-quality chromosome-level genome of the snow leopard and the genomes of 52 wild snow leopards. Population genomics reveal the existence of two large genetic lineages in global snow leopards, the northern and southern lineages, supported by the biogeography. The Last Glacial Maximum drove the divergence of two lineages. Microclimate differences and large rivers between the western and central Himalayas likely maintain the differentiation of two lineages. EPAS1 is positively selected in the southern lineage with almost fixed amino acid substitutions and shows an increased allele frequency with elevation. Compared to the southern lineage, the northern lineage exhibits a lower level of genomic diversity and higher levels of inbreeding and genetic load, consistent with its recent population decline. We find that snow leopards have extremely low genomic diversity and higher inbreeding than other Carnivora species; however, strong deleterious mutations have been effectively purged in snow leopards by historical population bottlenecks and inbreeding, which may be a vital genetic mechanism for their population survival and viability. Conclusions Our findings reveal the survival strategy of a species with low genetic diversity and highlight the importance of unveiling both genetic diversity and genetic burden for the conservation of threatened species.

All species of big cats, including tigers, cheetahs, leopards, lions, snow leopards, and jaguars, are protected under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This is due in large part to population declines resulting from anthropogenic factors, especially poaching and the unregulated and illegal trade in pelts, bones, teeth and other products that are derived from these iconic species. To enhance and scale up monitoring for big cat products in this trade, we created a rapid multiplex qPCR test that can identify and differentiate DNA from tiger ( Panthera tigris ), cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ), leopard ( Panthera pardus ), lion ( Panthera leo ), snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ), and jaguar ( Panthera onca ) in wildlife products using melt curve analysis to identify each species by its unique melt peak temperature. Our results showed high PCR efficiency (> 90%), sensitivity (detection limit of 5 copies of DNA per PCR reaction) and specificity (no cross amplification between each of the 6 big cat species). When paired with a rapid (< 1 h) DNA extraction protocol that amplifies DNA from bone, teeth, and preserved skin, total test time is less than three hours. This test can be used as a screening method to improve our understanding of the scale and scope of the illegal trade in big cats and aid in the enforcement of international regulations that govern the trade in wildlife and wildlife products, both ultimately benefiting the conservation of these species worldwide.

The brachial plexus, a network of ventral rami providing somatic sensory and motor innervation to the forelimb, is of particular importance in felids. Large-bodied pantherines require powerful rotatory and joint stabilizing forelimb muscles to maintain secure holds on large prey, while smaller-bodied felines are small prey specialists reliant on manual dexterity. Brachial plexus dissections of two snow leopards ( Panthera uncia ) and two domestic cats ( Felis catus ) revealed that generally the morphology of the brachial plexus is quite conserved. However, differences in the nerves supplying the shoulder and antebrachium may reflect differing prey capture strategies between the subfamilies. The brachial plexus of both species derives from ventral rami of C6-T1. In P . uncia , an extensive musculus (m.) subscapularis with multiple pennations is innervated by a larger number of nn. subscapulares, deriving from more spinal cord levels than in F . catus . C6 continues to become n. suprascapularis in both taxa; however, in F . catus , it also gives branches that join with C7, while in P . uncia , it is dedicated to musculi (mm.) supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and a small branch to cervical musculature. In F . catus , nervus (n.) medianus receives direct contributions from more ventral rami than P . uncia , possibly reflecting a greater reliance on manual dexterity in prey capture in the former. In addition to primary innervation by n. thoracodorsalis, m. latissimus dorsi is also innervated by n. thoracicus lateralis near the axilla in both taxa, suggesting that it may belong to a complex of proximal forelimb musculature along with mm. pectoralis profundus and cutaneus trunci.

When densities of large carnivores fall below certain thresholds, dramatic ecological effects can follow, leading to oversimplified ecosystems. Understanding the population status of such species remains a major challenge as they occur in low densities and their ranges are wide. This paper describes the use of non-invasive data collection techniques combined with recent spatial capture-recapture methods to estimate the density of snow leopards Panthera uncia. It also investigates the influence of environmental and human activity indicators on their spatial distribution. A total of 60 camera traps were systematically set up during a three-month period over a 480 km2 study area in Qilianshan National Nature Reserve, Gansu Province, China. We recorded 76 separate snow leopard captures over 2,906 trap-days, representing an average capture success of 2.62 captures/100 trap-days. We identified a total number of 20 unique individuals from photographs and estimated snow leopard density at 3.31 (SE = 1.01) individuals per 100 km2. Results of our simulation exercise indicate that our estimates from the Spatial Capture Recapture models were not optimal to respect to bias and precision (RMSEs for density parameters less or equal to 0.87). Our results underline the critical challenge in achieving sufficient sample sizes of snow leopard captures and recaptures. Possible performance improvements are discussed, principally by optimising effective camera capture and photographic data quality.