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At a sanctuary on New Zealand’s North Island, the long-endangered flightless birds have grown so much in number that they are being transported to other areas to start new colonies.

Years of vitriolic rhetoric, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, left Slovakia with bitter political division.

Any use of U.N. forces would have to be approved by the Security Council. “There first has to be peace to keep," said a U.N. spokesman.

Packs of feral dogs attack snow leopards, kill their prey species, prey on livestock, and attack children and adults. They also act as reservoirs for severe diseases such as rabies, which pose a risk to humans and snow leopards. Feral dog populations have rapidly increased in snow leopard habitats of many countries, including India, China, Bhutan and others. In India’s Spiti Valley, a hotspot for snow leopard conservation, feral dogs have multiplied due to increased visitor numbers and inadequate waste management. This problem can be addressed humanely by improving garbage management, including the disposal of livestock carcasses to reduce food availability for dogs and by controlling their population through sterilization efforts. However, this is easier said than done, considering the significant challenges of catching an intelligent, fast-learning social animal in a mountainous, rugged landscape. Our partner communities in Spiti Valley are piloting efforts to address this huge conservation and human health hazard. In collaboration with regional veterinarians, they have organized dog sterilization camps. During last year’s pilot, the people of Kibber and Chichim villages collectively managed to catch and help sterilize 59 feral dogs. This year, these two villages and three others have sterilized 100 dogs. This constitutes 68% of the adult feral dog population in these villages. Our immediate goal is to reach between 80 to 100%. In addition to sterilization, the veterinarians also vaccinate the dogs against rabies.  As a result of the sterilization and vaccination, the dogs are expected to be healthier and less aggressive. Our field team members serve as catalysts, coordinators and para-vets, and we also provide support for any equipment and other materials needed for these camps. Note: Community members provide post-surgery care and food to the dogs. This undertaking, led by our field staff Kesang Chunit, is a major collaborative effort among multiple stakeholders, including veterinary doctors, our team based at the Nature Conservation Foundation, local government, and the communities. Says Chunit, “ Our people lose more livestock to feral dogs today than they do to snow leopards and wolves. This is a really important effort that helps snow leopards and people alike.” We also support communities to help them implement better garbage management practices and create carcass disposal areas that are accessible to vultures and other wildlife but not to dogs. To be effective, this enormous effort must be sustained over several years. These long-term strategic solutions are only possible thanks to you. If you’d like to support more conservation programs like this please consider a donation. Acknowledgements: Our team is immensely thankful to veterinarians Dr. Dakpa Tenzin and Dr. Mukesh from Spiti’s Animal Husbandry Department for their hard work and commitment. Photo credit: Rhetick Sengupta, NCF-India The post Mitigating the Threat of Feral Dogs to Snow Leopards appeared first on Snow Leopard Trust.

Snow leopards live in vast home ranges across the high mountains of Asia. While securing their critical habitats through protected areas is important, it isn’t enough. Protected areas have often neglected the rights and well-being of human populations already living there. Furthermore, snow leopards are landscape species, requiring huge areas. Typically, individual snow leopards move well beyond protected area boundaries, and they must be conserved on lands that are also used by people.  To safeguard these endangered cats, we partner with communities of local and indigenous peoples living across this vast, mountainous landscape. Our conservation approach promotes ethical ways for snow leopards and people to coexist while protecting their shared habitat. Our conservation programs with partner communities promote coexistence and create incentives to protect local wildlife and ecosystems. Our Conservation Initiatives Foster Coexistence with Snow Leopards Our partner communities actively protect between 70,000 and 150,000 sq. km of snow leopard habitat. 159 communities are engaged in some or all of the following snow leopard-friendly conservation programs. Snow Leopard Enterprises Snow Leopard Enterprises (SLE) is an award-winning, conservation-focused handicrafts brand that helps create sustainable economic opportunities for women and families living in snow leopard habitat. This women-led initiative promotes the production and sale of handmade products to augment livelihoods. Participating communities are also actively involved in conservation actions to protect snow leopards. SLE also offers women an opportunity to contribute to local conservation decision-making. Since its inception 26 years ago, it has put women at the forefront of community conservation decisions. Read more about women changing the face of conservation: Socks for Dinner? | Snow Leopard Hero’s Journey Livestock Insurance The loss of even a single animal to predation can create significant financial hardship for herder families. Our community-led livestock insurance program helps rural communities reduce the economic impact of snow leopard predation by providing compensation for lost animals through a shared insurance fund. This initiative serves as a safety net for herders, enabling them to better cope with occasional predation and ultimately promoting coexistence with snow leopards and other predators. Read more about this program in action: The Reality of Living with Snow Leopards Livestock Vaccination Some herder families in snow leopard habitat can lose up to five times more livestock to diseases than predation. The livestock vaccination and ecosystem health program helps build healthier herds by offering vaccines and animal husbandry training in snow leopard communities. It has reduced mortality from disease by roughly 60% while improving animal health and the rural economy.  This increased earning potential helps herders better withstand livelihood risks and reduces negative attitudes towards snow leopards. Read more about the successes of this program: Vaccination Program Cuts Livestock Mortality In Half Predation Prevention Livestock losses to predation are part of life for many herding communities. Even the loss of a single animal can mean the loss of monthly income for a family. It is, therefore, particularly devastating when snow leopards manage to enter poorly constructed livestock corrals, which typically results in multiple livestock being killed in a single event. Desperate herders sometimes retaliate against snow leopards and other predators by killing them. Our collaborative predator-proof corral initiative breaks this cycle by fortifying them to protect livestock. These improved corrals can significantly reduce predation incidents and safeguard household livelihoods. In India, some of our partner communities have reported up to 90% fewer predation incidents. Citizen-Ranger Wildlife Protection Illegal hunting continues to threaten snow leopards and their prey species in large parts of their range. Committed wildlife rangers are crucial to protecting this precious biodiversity. They risk their lives to protect wildlife, often for little pay or social recognition. Our Citizen-Ranger Wildlife Protection Program trains, celebrates and honors those who serve on the frontlines of conservation. It helps support these defenders of nature and encourages local communities to work with them to protect their native wildlife. Read more about this program: Snow leopard ranger program expands to Mongolia and Pakistan Conservation Education Our conservation education initiatives are designed to create awareness about the value of nature and inspire positive attitudes toward wildlife. These programs include children’s eco-camps, annual Snow Leopard Day celebrations, conservation newsletters for herder communities and other local stakeholders and educational materials for schools, including lectures, videos, posters and environmental WhatsApp groups for teachers and students. Read more about our eco-camp program for kids in Kyrgyzstan: Give a boy a camera and he’ll photograph birds all day Climate Adaptation Programs The lives of snow leopards and the indigenous peoples of High Asia are as intertwined with glaciers and snow as they are with each other. Known as Earth’s Third Pole, this unique part of the planet they share is estimated to be warming two times faster than the average rate of warming in the Northern Hemisphere. To ensure snow leopards roam these peaks for generations, we must prepare for a future when the snow melts. Our climate adaptation programs help local and indigenous communities diversify their livelihood options, strengthening their ability to coexist with snow leopards and other biodiversity. Read more about our climate adaptation programs in action: How bees and trees are protecting snow leopards | How women in Pakistan are protecting snow leopards If you’d like to support these innovative strategies to protect snow leopards please consider making a donation today. Photo credits: Sascha Fonseca, SLCF-Mongolia, SLF-Kyrgyzstan, NCF-India, Shawna Peckham The post Level Up your Snow Leopard Conservation IQ for Endangered Species Day appeared first on Snow Leopard Trust.

Snow Leopard Trust’s Citizen-Ranger Wildlife Protection Program, created in collaboration with the Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan and the Kyrgyz government, trains, celebrates and honors wildlife rangers who protect biodiversity across snow leopard habitat. After ten years of success and growth, we are proud to announce that we have expanded this program to Mongolia and Pakistan. In March, on World Wildlife Day, the 10th annual ranger awards ceremony in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, celebrated 23 rangers and citizens for their unwavering dedication and bravery in disrupting poaching and illegal wildlife trade and apprehending suspects throughout the previous year. On Earth Day, April 22, Mongolia held its first ceremony in Ulaanbaatar, where 19 rangers were awarded, including the first woman to receive recognition. Pakistan will host its first awards ceremony later this year. These ceremonies are an opportunity to bring attention to the challenging and often dangerous tasks these rangers face on the frontlines of conservation. Inaugural Ranger Awards Ceremony in Mongolia Over the past decade, over 100 rangers have received awards for their active service in fighting the illegal wildlife trade. These brave individuals receive recognition and a modest monetary prize for their exemplary efforts. Under this program, Snow Leopard Trust and our partners, Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation (Mongolia) and Snow Leopard Foundation (Pakistan), help better equip rangers with equipment and knowledge. They are trained in disrupting poaching and illegal wildlife trade, including crime scene investigation and emergency healthcare. Our recent expansion is possible thanks to support from generous donors and grantors. A noteworthy aspect of this program included setting up a trust fund, where interest income allows Snow Leopard Trust to sustainably support ranger awards each year in perpetuity while the invested capital stays protected. The Citizen-Ranger Wildlife Protection Program’s expansion to Mongolia and Pakistan is an exciting development that will provide more protection for snow leopards and their prey, like the culturally significant Markhor. To ensure the long-term viability of the endeavor, new and increased training will be conducted for rangers across all three countries. Before the end of this year, 50 rangers will be trained in each country, with 5 “trained trainers” continuously imparting their knowledge to the recruits. Illegal wildlife trade is driven by markets and operated by dangerous international networks that are often linked to the illicit trade in narcotics. On the ground, poverty and lack of opportunity can drive people towards poaching, which, ultimately, ends up supplying the larger illegal trade. Along with expanding the ranger program to disrupt poaching, we are also working towards livelihood enhancement initiatives among local communities living in and around snow leopard habitats. Our goal is to help diversify income sources with snow-leopard-friendly and ecologically sustainable options to help foster coexistence with snow leopards. In Kyrgyzstan, eco-tourism initiatives allow visitors to experience the beauty of the snow leopard’s habitat while providing income for local communities. The sale of dairy products in Mongolia and beekeeping programs in Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan promote sustainable use of natural resources. Sign up for our monthly E-News to get all the latest snow leopard conservation updates. Acknowledgements: The Citizen-Ranger Wildlife Protection Program is funded by the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. The Ranger Awards Ceremony this year in Kyrgyzstan was organized by the Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, jointly with the support of Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), UKAID, Woodland Park Zoo, Toronto Zoo, KCS Pacific Foundation and Whitley Fund for Nature in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic. In Mongolia, this program was organized by Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation with the support of Snow Leopard Trust in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and Mongolian Rangers Association. Photo credits: Photo credits: SLF-Kyrgyzstan, SLCF-Mongolia, SLF-Pakistan The post Snow Leopard Ranger Program Expands to Mongolia and Pakistan appeared first on Snow Leopard Trust.

The three were attending the Tribe of Nova trance music festival when they disappeared. Their bodies were found by the Israeli military during an overnight operation.

Families grapple with anguish and isolation as they try to raise their children in a country that increasingly questions their very identity.

People who know the suspect described a ‘weird and angry’ loner who wrote erotic poetry, and whose resentments ranged across the political spectrum.