Snow leopard survey underway in Mustang and Manang

Kathmandu, January 3: A snow leopard survey is being conducted simultaneously in Mustang and Manang to determine the species’ population in the two districts.

The survey is being carried out by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project through its offices in Lomanthang and Jomsom in Mustang, and in the Manang district.

Earlier studies relied on a limited number of camera traps placed in selected areas. As a result, the exact number of snow leopards in Mustang and Manang could not be confirmed.

This year, the project has expanded the survey. Camera traps are being installed across wider areas believed to be snow leopard habitats.

Umesh Poudel, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project office in Lomanthang, said winter is the most suitable time for the survey. He explained that snowfall at higher elevations reduces grazing areas. This forces prey species to move to lower altitudes, making snow leopards easier to monitor.

According to Poudel, more than 130 camera trap surveys will be carried out in four municipalities across 161 grids in Mustang. Technicians and local residents have been deployed to high-altitude habitats and known movement routes.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project office in Lomanthang plans to install more than 99 cameras in Upper Mustang. These include areas in Lomanthang and Loghekar Damodarkunda rural municipalities.

In southern Mustang, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project office in Jomsom has installed seven cameras in Sangta, near the Mustang–Dolpa border. Earlier, sixteen cameras were installed in areas such as Marpha, Chimang, Thini, Jhong and Cheungur, said Rajesh Gupta, head of the Jomsom office.

Meanwhile, the snow leopard survey in Manang began in the second week of August, according to Dhak Bahadur Bhujel, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project office in Manang. He said 129 camera trap sites have been set up, and monitoring is ongoing.