Afghanistan

Snow leopards among the new ‘blood diamonds’

February 28, 2012 Afghanistan

The Bronx Zoo based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) did a study during a few years ago that found military personnel in Afghanistan were supporting the illegal wildlife trade by buying furs coats and animal products including snow leopard pelts. Most buyers did so because they were not aware that it was illegal and that the [...]

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Afghanistan’s highest mountain open to climbers again

August 17, 2011 Afghanistan

After the recent good news of remote cameras photographing more snow leopards in Afhganistan comes another piece of good news. The country’s highest mountain, Mount Noshaq (7492 metres) is again open to the mountaineering community after many years closure due to conflict and insecurity. Mount Noshaq is located in important snow leopard habitat in the [...]

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More snow leopards found in Afghanistan

July 17, 2011 Afghanistan

News from a recent snow leopard study in Afghanistan suggests the war torn nation may have a healthy cat population in the mountains of the northeastern Wakhan Corridor. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), supported by USAID, used camera traps to photograph the solitary and shy cats. The study has been reported in the June 29 [...]

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Kabul Zoo story confusion

December 7, 2010 Afghanistan

Thanks to Sally Walker of Zoo Outreach Organisation who has a close association with Kabul Zoo for sending this email to “Saving Snow Leopard” Blog about the AFP (Agence France Presse) article on the director of the Zoo, Aziz Gul Saqeb’s trip to India to get animals for the zoo, including a snow leopard. We [...]

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Kabul zoo hoping to get snow leopard from India

December 3, 2010 Afghanistan

I see from a news report today Kabul Zoo officials are keen to restock their Zoo after severe damage over the last 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan. I wondered if staff and the facility are ready to take on the responsibility and safety and well being of new animals? Certainly for the troubled people [...]

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Habiba Sarabi, snow leopard champion

June 17, 2010 Afghanistan
Thumbnail image for Habiba Sarabi, snow leopard champion

Habiba Sarabi became the first female governor of an Afghan province, the province of Bamiyan in 2005. Bamiyan is one of the poorest of all provinces and the place where the ancient Bamiyan Buddha carvings had stood for 1400 years before the Taliban blew them up in 2001. Sarabi’s role in snow leopard conservation has [...]

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‘Time’ photos of captured snow leopard in Afghanistan

June 3, 2010 Afghanistan
Thumbnail image for ‘Time’ photos of captured snow leopard in Afghanistan

Readers may recall the story of the captured snow leopard in Afghanistan I wrote about in March. Richard Fite, the US veterinarian who advises for the U.S. Agricultural Department in northern Afghanistan, tried to save the cat, which had been captured for the illegal wildlife trade, but sadly she died.  Richard shared his hope with [...]

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Sad end

March 8, 2010 Afghanistan

As humans we’re always looking for the positive in a story. We have to look pretty deep to get a positive from this horrible story from Afghanistan this week. Some conservationists are saying it shows that local Afghans are more protective of snow leopards now – lets hope so. But the sad death of this [...]

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Is it a snow leopard or isn't it a snow leopard?

February 16, 2010 Afghanistan

The discussion continues amongst snow leopard experts on the animal in the night video sent to me recently by a young US Army sergeant, Carl Duke. The video was taken in the war zone on the Pakistan / Afghanistan border with the amazing  Long-Range Advance Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3) from a distance of 8 kilometers. [...]

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Snow leopard?

February 12, 2010 Afghanistan

Recently I received video of what appeared to be a snow leopard in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan taken by a young sergeant in the US Army. Several experts kindly commented their opinions through the Snow Leopard Network and my Blog, some thought it was a snow leopard and others raised the question as to [...]

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