The Snow Leopard: Mystery of the Mountains

The Snow Leopard is one of the most mysterious animals in the world because it live up in the high peaks in the Himalayas and in remote areas where small groups of people live. It is seldom seen (1) because it lives in the high in the mountains (2) it is endangered and is in danger of going extinct. These animals are found in 12 countries including, China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and Mongolia. They have lost their habitat and are killed for fear of killing farmers livestock. They are also on the decline because of the illegal poaching and skinning of their furs for the illegal trade and Chinese medicine. Some fast facts about these animals is that: 1. They can leap up to an astounding 50 ft 2. They can kill an animal three times their own size 3. They use their tales for balance and keep themselves warm during the winters. They have been known to eat mountain ibex as well as smaller game, such as marmots, hares, and game birds. One snow leopard is reported to have eaten five blue sheep, nine Tibetan woolly hares, twenty-five marmots, five domestic goats, one domestic sheep, and fifteen birds in a single year. This maybe one of the reason they have been hunted by the farmers due to the danger to their livestock. The snow leopard by nature will hunt them because they are opportunists and will take any opportunity to get food and if that means livestock then by god they'll get them. These rare and magnificent creatures need to be preserved because once we lose them, there is no bringing them back.