IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Conradi, M. | |
| Non-invasive sampling of snow leopards in Phu valley, Nepal | |
| 2006 Full Book | |
Snow leopards (_Uncia uncia_) inhabit the remote mountain ranges of the Himalayas, and are currently listed as Endangered. Due to their inaccessible habitat and sparse distribution it is difficult to compile exact estimates of the population size, gene flow, and dispersal distances, and such data are is still lacking in parts of this elusive species' range. This study showed that non-invasive tracking of snow leopards using faeces as the source of DNA is a promising method for obtaining these population parameters. Extraction success and genotyping quality were much higher for samples stored in ethanol as compared to air dried and dry stored samples. Whereas only 25% of the dry samples gave DNA of sufficient quality to be genotyped, 50% of the ethanol-preserved samples worked well. A success rate of 50% is comparable to many other studies using faeces as the source of DNA. Unfortunately, none of the applied sex markers yielded consistent results for reliable sex determination. Nine different individuals were detected among the 22 successfully genotyped samples, which may be considered a minimum estimate of the population seize. Five of these individuals likely constitute a family group with a resident male, a resident female and three cubs. The rest of the observed individuals were likely drifting animals, attracted to the valley during the mating season. This is quite high, but is explained by both the current livestock depredation rate, and the potential for the wild prey population to support a snow leopard population of 9 - 15 animals. Based on these findings we suggest that Phu valley is a snow leopard hotspot, and as such deserves increased conservation focus with proper management plans put into place. A jackknife-based capture-recapture estimate suggests a population size of 13 snow leopards (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9 - 18). This is quite high, but is explained by both the current livestock depredation rate, and the potential for the wild prey population to support a snow leopard population of 9 - 15 animals. Based on these findings we suggest that Phu valley is a snow leopard hotspot, and as such deserves increased conservation focus with proper management plans put into place. |
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