Saving Snow Leopards — Passage
Snow leopards are endangered, with fewer than 6,500 left in the wild. The biggest threats come from human activities.
One major problem is habitat loss. As people expand farms, roads, and mines into the mountains, snow leopards lose their hunting grounds. Climate change is also melting glaciers and altering their ecosystem, making survival harder.
Another threat is poaching. Snow leopards are illegally hunted for their fur and bones, which are used in traditional medicine. Some herders kill them for attacking livestock, even though snow leopards rarely target farm animals.
Thankfully, conservation efforts are helping. Governments and scientists are creating protected areas where snow leopards can live safely. Some programs train herders to build stronger pens for livestock, reducing conflicts. Others use camera traps and GPS collars to track snow leopards and study their behavior.
Local communities are also getting involved. Eco-tourism projects allow people to see snow leopards responsibly, providing jobs and incentives to protect them. Education programs teach children why these cats matter.
If efforts continue, snow leopards can recover. Protecting them also helps people—by preserving water sources and keeping ecosystems stable. Everyone has a role in saving these majestic "ghosts of the mountains."
Why are snow leopards endangered?
They reproduce too quicklyHabitat loss and poachingThey hate cold weatherThey only eat poisonous plantsHow does climate change affect snow leopards?
It makes their fur turn greenIt melts glaciers and alters their habitatIt helps them grow largerIt teaches them to swimWhy do some herders kill snow leopards?
For attacking livestockFor stealing clothingFor singing loudly at nightFor digging up cropsWhat is one conservation effort to protect snow leopards?
Building roads through their habitatGPS tracking and protected areasSelling their fur as souvenirsFeeding them chocolateHow does eco-tourism help snow leopards?
By scaring them away from humansBy providing jobs and incentives to protect themBy training them to perform tricksBy moving them to desertsWhat is the main idea of this passage?
Snow leopards are beyond savingHuman actions threaten snow leopards, but conservation can helpSnow leopards should be kept only in zoosClimate change has no impact on wildlifeWhat does "poaching" mean in this passage?
Cooking meat over a fireIllegal hunting of animalsPlanting trees in mountainsMeasuring snowfallHow do stronger livestock pens help snow leopards?
They store food for leopardsThey reduce conflicts with herdersThey train leopards to farmThey attract more touristsRelated Content
