Back in Delüün to restart the snow leopard research program after a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is good to be back. The weather is WARM. At least 10 degrees warmer than usual for this time of year (of course that does not mean warm - it is still highs in the upper 30’s or low 40’s, but it is usually below freezing 24 hours a day by now). There is also almost no snow. This follows a summer of NO RAIN. The herders are worried about their livestock (which means livelihood) because the lack of rain during the summer means the grass has not regrown as it was grazed and there is nothing left.
This pattern also affects our ability to capture. The usual cold and snow in the high country drives down native prey to the lower elevations and the snow leopards follow, making them accessible to capture. The native prey remains high right now, and so do the snow leopards. We have searched for snow leopard sign at all of our traditional spots and there is scant evidence of any activity. We have set traps anyway with the hope that the patterns will change. It is part of the game of capturing snow leopards. So we check traps every day and patiently wait for some kind of activity.
Barry Rosenbaum