{"id":16686,"date":"2026-03-30T09:19:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/?p=16686"},"modified":"2026-03-31T14:54:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:54:32","slug":"snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley:  What Your Support Has Made Possible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 id=\"introduction-where-it-began\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introduction: where it began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>High in the cold desert of Spiti, where altitude, climate and terrain push life to its limits, one of the world\u2019s most elusive predators moves largely unseen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, Explorers Against Extinction partnered with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncf-india.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nature Conservation Foundation<\/a> (NCF) to support its High Altitude Program, focused on snow leopard conservation across the Western Himalaya. As part of this, we contributed funding towards an early phase of <a href=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/project\/safeguarding-the-snow-leopards-of-himachal-pradesh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">camera trapping<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s quite amazing for us to look back at all that has happened over the past two years. The GHNP camera trapping really did become the seed for something much bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite>Vindhya Jyoti &#8211; Programme Manager, NCF<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>With our early support, an initial deployment of around 40 camera traps was carried out in the Sainj and Tirthan valleys of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) during October\u2013November 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, this work has expanded significantly. Across the wider study, 271 camera traps were deployed over 26,112 km\u00b2, resulting in 262 snow leopard detections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"about-snow-leopards-and-the-questions-behind-the-project\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About snow leopards and the questions behind the project<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Snow leopards live at low densities across vast, high-altitude landscapes, typically between 3,000 and over 5,000 metres. They are rarely seen, and much of what we know comes from tracks, signs and increasingly, camera traps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes answering even basic questions difficult:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>How are snow leopard populations changing over time?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What impact is conservation having?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Which areas are most important &#8211; and where is intervention most needed?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Traditional studies often focused on smaller areas where snow leopards are easier to detect. While useful, this can overestimate populations when applied to larger landscapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This project set out to address that by studying snow leopards across a much broader and more representative landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"how-the-camera-trap-study-was-conducted\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How the camera trap study was conducted<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"754\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team.jpg 754w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team-300x265.jpg 300w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team-120x106.jpg 120w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team-90x80.jpg 90w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team-320x283.jpg 320w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/team-560x495.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Field team in 2023 setting camera traps in GHNP (NCF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers designed a large-scale camera trapping study covering multiple landscapes across Himachal Pradesh, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Spiti (Tabo, Pin and Upper Spiti)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kinnaur<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lahaul-Pangi<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Great Himalayan National Park (Sainj and Tirthan valleys)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Camera traps were carefully positioned based on field signs such as scrapes, scat and scent markings, as well as terrain features likely to funnel animal movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each site was monitored over a 60-day period, with cameras recording wildlife day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To identify individual snow leopards, researchers used their <strong>unique rosette patterns<\/strong>, the arrangement of markings on the coat. These were examined across multiple parts of the body, including the <strong>flank, rump, shoulders and tail<\/strong>, to ensure each individual could be reliably distinguished, much like a fingerprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only animals with clearly identifiable patterns across multiple areas were confirmed as unique individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To move from sightings to population estimates, researchers used <strong>Spatially Explicit Capture\u2013Recapture (SECR) models<\/strong>. These models combine camera trap detections with information about animal movement to estimate how many individuals are likely present across the landscape, including those not captured on camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"findings-what-the-cameras-revealed\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Findings: what the cameras revealed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1624\" height=\"1142\" src=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited.jpg\" alt=\"snow leopard\" class=\"wp-image-16721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited.jpg 1624w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-1024x720.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-768x540.jpg 768w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-1536x1080.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-120x84.jpg 120w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-90x63.jpg 90w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-320x225.jpg 320w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-560x394.jpg 560w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-800x563.jpg 800w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pangsham-1-edited-1160x816.jpg 1160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1624px) 100vw, 1624px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Snow leopard caught on camera  &#8211; Nature Conservation Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Across the study:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>262 independent snow leopard detections<\/strong> were recorded<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>44 individual adult snow leopards<\/strong> were identified<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In Spiti, the results underline its importance as a stronghold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Upper Spiti: 12 individuals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pin Valley: 8 individuals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tabo: 6 individuals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Using SECR modelling, researchers estimated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Approximately 83 adult snow leopards across Himachal Pradesh<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confidence range: 67\u2013103 individuals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In simple terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>44 individuals were directly identified<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The true population is likely closer to 83<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This distinction reflects both the scale of the landscape and the difficulty of detecting every animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-else-the-study-shows-us\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What else the study shows us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-1024x667.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-1024x667.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-768x500.jpg 768w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-1536x1000.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-120x78.jpg 120w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-90x59.jpg 90w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-320x208.jpg 320w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-560x364.jpg 560w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-800x521.jpg 800w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-1160x755.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP-1920x1250.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/himalayan_wolf_1_HP.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Himalayan wolf &#8211; Himachal Pradesh Forest Department and Nature Conservation Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Camera traps do more than capture a single species, they reveal entire ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside snow leopards, the study recorded a wide range of high-altitude wildlife, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Himalayan wolf<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brown bear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Red fox<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Musk deer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Himalayan ibex and blue sheep (key prey species)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yellow-throated marten and stone marten<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Significantly, the study also produced:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The first recorded sighting of Pallas\u2019s cat in Himachal Pradesh<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The first photographic evidence of the woolly flying squirrel in the state<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These findings highlight both the richness of these ecosystems and how much remains to be discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The data also revealed important ecological shifts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Increased detections of <strong>common leopards<\/strong>, suggesting movement into higher altitudes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Widespread presence of <strong>free-ranging dogs<\/strong>, posing risks through disease, predation and disturbance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, these insights help identify where conservation action is most urgently needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"spiti-a-critical-stronghold\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Spiti: a critical stronghold<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-1024x670.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-1536x1005.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-120x79.jpg 120w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-90x59.jpg 90w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-320x209.jpg 320w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-560x366.jpg 560w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-800x523.jpg 800w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-1160x759.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP-1920x1256.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siberian_ibex_HP.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Siberian ibex &#8211; Himachal Pradesh Forest Department and Nature Conservation Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The findings confirm that Spiti is one of the most important landscapes for snow leopards in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Upper Spiti recorded the highest density<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prey species remain relatively abundant<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Habitat remains connected across large areas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, the landscape is changing, reinforcing the need for ongoing monitoring and adaptive conservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"legacy-from-a-single-project-to-wider-impact\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legacy: from a single project to wider impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-1024x660.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-1024x660.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-1536x989.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-120x77.jpg 120w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-90x58.jpg 90w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-320x206.jpg 320w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-560x361.jpg 560w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-800x515.jpg 800w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-1160x747.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1-1920x1237.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snowleopard_JK_1-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"662\" src=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-1024x662.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-1024x662.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-1536x993.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-120x78.jpg 120w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-90x58.jpg 90w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-320x207.jpg 320w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-560x362.jpg 560w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-800x517.jpg 800w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-1160x750.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK-1920x1242.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brown-Bear-1_JK.jpg 2041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Snow leopards (top) and Brown bear (bottom) &#8211; caught on camera during the wider study. Images by Jammu &amp; Kashmir Wildlife Department and Nature Conservation Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What began with camera trapping in GHNP has grown into something far more significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This work has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Contributed to a <strong>statewide snow leopard population assessment<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Covered more than <strong>26,000 km\u00b2 of habitat<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Helped establish a <strong>repeatable, science-based monitoring approach<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provided a <strong>baseline for tracking population trends over time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What started as a focused contribution is now helping shape how snow leopards and other species are studied and protected across <strong>the wider Himalaya.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"thank-you\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Thank you<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From a small, early contribution to a much wider study, your support has helped bring one of the world\u2019s most elusive species into clearer focus, and laid the groundwork for its future protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Image at top: Snow leopard &#8211; Himachal Pradesh Forest Department and Nature Conservation Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction: where it began High in the cold desert of Spiti, where altitude, climate and terrain push life to its limits, one of the world\u2019s most elusive predators moves largely&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,517,545],"tags":[476,730,512,601,602],"powerkit_post_featured":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible - Explorers Against Extinction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how early support for snow leopard research in Spiti helped grow a major Himalayan study, revealing new insights into populations and conservation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible - Explorers Against Extinction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how early support for snow leopard research in Spiti helped grow a major Himalayan study, revealing new insights into populations and conservation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Explorers Against Extinction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ExplorersAgainstExtinction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-30T08:19:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T13:54:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1349\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sara\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sara\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sara\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d1c6e9b4b72b9907c3eceff6956f5288\"},\"headline\":\"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-30T08:19:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T13:54:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\"},\"wordCount\":944,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"featured\",\"Himachal Pradesh\",\"india\",\"snow leopards\",\"spiti valley\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Asia\",\"Conservation\",\"Projects\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\",\"name\":\"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible - Explorers Against Extinction\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-30T08:19:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T13:54:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover how early support for snow leopard research in Spiti helped grow a major Himalayan study, revealing new insights into populations and conservation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1349,\"caption\":\"snow leopard\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Explorers Against Extinction\",\"description\":\"Fighting species extinction &amp; habitat loss worldwide\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Explorers Against Extinction\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/700.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/700.jpg\",\"width\":1008,\"height\":934,\"caption\":\"Explorers Against Extinction\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ExplorersAgainstExtinction\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explorersagainstextinction\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d1c6e9b4b72b9907c3eceff6956f5288\",\"name\":\"Sara\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/author\/swhite\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible - Explorers Against Extinction","description":"Discover how early support for snow leopard research in Spiti helped grow a major Himalayan study, revealing new insights into populations and conservation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible - Explorers Against Extinction","og_description":"Discover how early support for snow leopard research in Spiti helped grow a major Himalayan study, revealing new insights into populations and conservation.","og_url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/","og_site_name":"Explorers Against Extinction","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ExplorersAgainstExtinction\/","article_published_time":"2026-03-30T08:19:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-31T13:54:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1349,"url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sara","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sara","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/"},"author":{"name":"Sara","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d1c6e9b4b72b9907c3eceff6956f5288"},"headline":"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible","datePublished":"2026-03-30T08:19:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T13:54:32+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/"},"wordCount":944,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg","keywords":["featured","Himachal Pradesh","india","snow leopards","spiti valley"],"articleSection":["Asia","Conservation","Projects"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/","url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/","name":"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible - Explorers Against Extinction","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-30T08:19:43+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T13:54:32+00:00","description":"Discover how early support for snow leopard research in Spiti helped grow a major Himalayan study, revealing new insights into populations and conservation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SL_HP.jpg","width":2048,"height":1349,"caption":"snow leopard"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/snow-leopards-of-the-spiti-valley-what-your-support-has-made-possible\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Snow Leopards of the Spiti Valley: What Your Support Has Made Possible"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Explorers Against Extinction","description":"Fighting species extinction &amp; habitat loss worldwide","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"Explorers Against Extinction","url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/700.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/700.jpg","width":1008,"height":934,"caption":"Explorers Against Extinction"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ExplorersAgainstExtinction\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explorersagainstextinction\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d1c6e9b4b72b9907c3eceff6956f5288","name":"Sara","url":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/author\/swhite\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16686"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16686"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorersagainstextinction.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=16686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}