Date of article: 12-7-09: I will use two reliable sources for figures of the snow leopard population:
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ (Red List) – these come from the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy and are estimates as 2003.
- Wildcats of the World by Mel and Fiona Sunquist (WoW) – these figures come from various sources. This book was published in 2002.
We don’t know exact figures and the ones we have are probably out of date. This is because the range is big and the cat elusive. Funding is also probably hard to come by. Population is decreasing….
Red List Population Figures – 2003 – estimates
Note: The Red List defines population:
…as the number of mature individuals, defined as “individuals known, estimated or inferred to be capable of reproduction.”
| Location | Population |
| Afghanistan | 100-200? |
| Bhutan | 100-200? |
| China | 2,000-2,500 |
| India | 200-600 |
| Kazakhstan | 180-200 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 150-500 |
| Mongolia | 500-1,000 |
| Nepal | 300-500 |
| Pakistan | 200-420 |
| Russia | 150-200 |
| Tajikistan | 180-220 |
| Uzbekistan | 20-50 |
The snow leopard population is thought to have declined by about 20% over the past 16 years because of habitat and prey base loss, poaching and persecution (Red List)
WoW Population Figures – 2002 – estimates
| Location | Population |
| Worldwide | 4,500 – 7,500 |
| China | 2,000 |
| Ladakh (Kashmir) (1986) | Less than 200 |
| Nepal | 350 – 500 |
| Kyrgyzstan (1988) | 600 |
| Mongolia (1990) | 1,000 |
From Snow leopard population to Wild Cat Species
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