Rare encounter with a snow leopard

Due to climate change and ecological changes, the food chain for the snow leopard is disrupted, causing them to change their lifestyle. Recently there are stories where people have seen snow leopards in places where they wouldn’t previously have visited. Ecological changes due to climate change have forced snow leopards to visit new places. When they move to new places it happens that they take livestock, and that's how conflicts between people and snow leopards emerge.

In 2007, I was working in Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism as a project manager. We had the opportunity to host the BBC World Documentary team as they came to Chitral, and we facilitated their trip to film the wildlife of Pakistan. 

It was the first time I’ve seen a snow leopard, and it’s one of the most important moments of my life. To see a snow leopard with my own eyes. The BBC video is available to watch, narrated by David Attenborough. 

The BBC team of course had binoculars and very strong cameras focused on the wildcat, but we could still see it with the naked eye. It came down with three little cubs. It stayed in the game reserve for seven days. One time, it attempted to kill a markhor, but it failed and the markhor crossed the river to the other side. 

And it started feasting on that markhor for seven days. This provided an ample opportunity for the BBC team to document it. 

Local people in the area have high regard for the snow leopard, due to historical relations of communities with animals. There are many cultural folk stories associated with the snow leopard. For example, one folk lore says that if someone would kill a snow leopard, then he would die of stomach pain, because nature’s angel guardian protects this snow leopard. So harming a snow leopard is dangerous.