International Snow Leopard Day:
Oct 23 is recognised as International Snow Leopard Day
- The day came into being with the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration by 12 countries on the conservation of snow leopards.
Snow Leopard:
- Scientific name: Panthera uncia.
- Habitat: Snow leopards live in the mountains of Central Asia.
- Numbers: There are only between 3,920 and 6,390 snow leopards left in the wild.
- Range extends through twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Conservation Status: Snow leopards were considered endangered species until 2017 but the status was changed to vulnerable later in the year.
- As per reports, India is home to about 450-500 snow leopards which can be spotted in the upper Himalayan regions of the country.
