Interview 7: Saving the Elusive Snow Leopard with Koustubh Sharma

Also known as the "Ghosts of the Mountains", the Snow Leopard is probably one of the most elusive cat in the world. They, however, are the apex predators of the high Himalayas, alongside the genetically unique Himalayan Wolf and the critically endangered Himalayan Brown Bear. Unfortunately, climate change is causing a significant loss of habitat across the Himalayas, which has a large cascading effect. With rising temperatures, there's been increased instances of human wildlife conflict in the Himalayas, which in fact, is driving the illegal wildlife trade of snow leopard!On Episode 7, I interview Koustubh Sharma, India's leading Snow Leopard ecologist. While  he did his PHD on the four horned antelope in central India, he has worked extensively on snow leopard research across the Himalayas and central Asia ever since.  He is currently the director of science and communication at the Snow Leopard Trust. In this interview, we talk about his work on snow leopards, threats faced by this elusive cat and conservation efforts.Think Wildlife Foundation is supporting the adoption and upscaling of alternative livelihood projects within communities living in and around India's protected areas. We hope that these projects will reduce the monetary incentives of poaching for these local communities by providing sustainable sources of income. You can support these programs by buying products directly from these communities.Support the Communities living with Wildlife: https://linktr.ee/thinkwildlifefoundation.com  Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe