Snow leopard conservation: changing perspectives through livestock corrals in Ladakh

Thukjey, a resident of Kumic Village in the Zanskar Valley, Ladakh.

Since 2011, the Australian Himalayan Foundation has partnered with the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. Our shared mission has been to protect the snow leopard population of the Indian Himalaya and to foster harmonious existence with local farmers in the Zanskar Valley of Ladakh. To help protect the local population of snow leopards, a simple solution was devised to minimise one of the driving factors of the species decline – human wildlife conflict – through the construction of livestock corrals.

On a recent field trip to assess the project, we spoke to Thukjey, a resident of Kumic Village. She shared what life is like in the valley, the importance of her herd, and how the efforts of AHF and Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust have made an impact.

“My village is the most beautiful village in Zanskar. When there is enough water, there are many flowers and trees. It is also the happiest village, as we are close to the mountains where our goats and sheep can graze. My life revolves around my animals and my day is spent taking care of them – feeding them, taking out their manure and grazing them.”

People in the Zanskar valley are mostly agro-pastoralists, a way of life that revolves around the growing of crops or the raising of livestock. It is a busy life, and in remote Ladakh, one that demands a lot of hard work.

“There is a lot of responsibility on our heads. When I am not working in the fields, I am looking for firewood, collecting cow dung, weaving our blankets and clothes and doing other household chores. Summer times are busier, but since my husband currently doesn’t have any other employment, we both work in the fields.”

Farmers in the region rely heavily on their livestock for their livelihood, but their animals are vulnerable to attacks from snow leopards. These majestic yet endangered creatures, in their search for food, can pose a significant threat to the villagers’ way of life. Unfortunately, this often leads to conflict, with devastating consequences for both the farmers and the snow leopards.

“Before the community corral, the shepherd used to call out and we used to have to take our goats and sheep to him to graze. When the shepherd came back, he used to also call out for us to collect our goats and sheep but sometimes we could not make it in time as we were busy in the fields.This meant that they roamed free during dusk where they sometimes got eaten by wolves or snow leopards and sometimes destroyed our vegetable gardens.”

The solution? Infrastructure…. The construction of both communal and individual livestock corrals provided villagers with peace of mind, knowing their animals were safe from night-time attacks. This not only protected their livelihoods but also freed them from the burden of constant vigilance, allowing them to focus on other important tasks.

“We now do not have to worry about our animals anymore because the shepherd just takes them out of the community corral and puts them back in at night.”

Fully-enclosed corrals protect livestock, and have proven to be very successful at keeping snow leopards out. The corrals have been built in five villages across the valley where the communities and snow leopards are in closest contact.  These corrals ultimately help conservation in avoiding human-wildlife conflict.

“The community corral was constructed mostly by women in the village. In the last couple of years a lot of villagers stopped keeping sheep and goats, but they are important for our village so we don’t have to rely on the market.”

As a result, between 2020 and 2023, livestock attacks by snow leopards have reduced from 74 to 2.

“After the project we no longer had to worry about our livestock  getting attacked by wild animals. We are very grateful to AHF for this. I am also hopeful if such support continues to be available, the whole community will come forward and participate.”

While the construction of corrals has been a major success, a recent snow leopard attack killed 42 livestock in an unsecured corral, highlighting the continued need for support to make more corrals snow leopard-proof. 

We are working with local governments and communities to strengthen collaboration efforts, to ensure the sustainability of the work that Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust has done to protect livestock and conserve snow leopards. This partnership empowers local communities and the local government to take responsibility for these solutions themselves, promoting ownership alongside peaceful coexistence with snow leopards.

This project is funded by generous Australian Himalayan Foundation donors.

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