Snow Leopards Are Year-Round Residents in Kishtwar Himalayas, Landmark Study Finds

SRINAGAR: A landmark three-year scientific study has confirmed that snow leopards, one of the world’s most elusive big cats, are year-round residents and active breeders in the Kishtwar Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir. This breakthrough overturns long-held assumptions that the species only visited the region seasonally, establishing the erstwhile state as a critical stronghold for the conservation of high-altitude biodiversity in India.

The study, jointly conducted by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir, under the nationwide Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) protocol, deployed over 3,000 camera trap nights between 2022 and 2025 across Kishtwar High Altitude National Park (KHANP), Paddar, Warwan, Dachhan, and Zojila. Supported by the Royal Enfield Social Mission, the project combined rigorous field research, threat mapping, and extensive community engagement.

The surveys used the maximum-likelihood-based Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) method, globally recognised for estimating elusive carnivore populations. Results indicate the presence of up to 20 adult snow leopards, with confirmed identification of at least 12 individuals from camera trap images. Importantly, the study documented a mother with cubs in Kishtwar, confirming the presence of a breeding population.

Site-wise abundance included three individuals in Kiyar (KHANP) and five in Paddar, with density estimates in 2024 ranging from 0.32 to 0.49 snow leopards per 100 sq km. For the first time, winter detections from Paddar in Jammu division and Zojila in Kashmir division confirmed that snow leopards occupy these landscapes throughout the year, signalling stable habitats and resident populations.

“These findings reaffirm the importance of Jammu and Kashmir as a key snow leopard stronghold,” said Dr Shahid Hameed, project coordinator at NCF. “It is time to treat the Kishtwar Himalayas not as isolated valleys, but as part of an interconnected conservation landscape.”

Camera traps also recorded 16 other mammal species, including the Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan wolf, musk deer, Asiatic ibex, stone marten, pika, red fox, and, for the first time in Paddar, the common leopard and grey wolf. In some sites, snow leopards and common leopards were detected at the same locations, suggesting possible niche overlaps and raising new ecological questions about species interactions.

The study’s Relative Abundance Index (RAI) revealed that red foxes dominated carnivore detections, while prey species such as ibex and pika showed significant variations across years and sites. Behavioural analyses found that mammals in human-disturbed areas increasingly shifted activity to nighttime, a strategy of coexistence seen globally.

A threat assessment survey of over 320 households across Paddar, Warwan, Dachhan, and Marwah identified livestock depredation and crop damage as major challenges shaping community attitudes. Losses to livelihoods have sometimes led to retaliatory killings of wildlife, underscoring the need for conflict mitigation strategies.

The report also highlights the looming challenge of climate change, with glaciers in the Greater Himalayas melting at twice the global average rate. This poses risks of habitat loss, altered prey dynamics, and intensified human-wildlife interactions.

Conservation outreach formed a central component of the project. Six workshops engaged over 1,200 participants, including 480 school students, 500 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates, and 30 frontline forest staff. Training sessions covered biodiversity awareness, ecological field techniques, use of camera traps, and mock drills for handling human-wildlife conflict.

According to Vigyat Singh, Director – Operations, Eicher Group Foundation, “This study is a significant example of what can be achieved when scientific rigour, local stewardship, and institutional collaboration come together. Snow leopards are more than just an indicator species — conserving their habitat reflects the overall health and resilience of high-altitude ecosystems.”

The authors strongly recommend that the entire Kishtwar landscape—including KHANP, Paddar, Warwan, Thajawas-Zojila, and Dachhan—be managed as an interconnected conservation unit. This approach aligns with the vision of Project Snow Leopard (2008) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which emphasise community participation and landscape connectivity.

Future directions include expanded winter monitoring, closer study of prey dynamics (particularly the role of ibex, marmots, and pika), and more research into snow leopard-dietary flexibility and carnivore interactions.

The findings mark the first robust population assessment of snow leopards in Jammu and Kashmir, giving policymakers, conservationists, and local communities a scientific basis to strengthen protection efforts. The study’s emphasis on collaboration—between scientists, the wildlife department, and communities—underscores that the future of snow leopards depends as much on social trust as on ecological science.

As Dr Hameed put it, “Much of the credit must go to the continued commitment of the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Department to conserve their high-altitude homes.”

With snow leopards confirmed as year-round residents, Kishtwar’s mountains are no longer seen as temporary refuges but as permanent habitats for one of the planet’s most iconic species—a recognition that could transform the trajectory of conservation in the Himalayas.