Chinanews, Urumqi, Sept. 20 – The International Snow Leopard Fund Association recently said that Mt. Tomur, a main peak of the Tianshan mountain range, could be a major region in the world for the protection and study of the snow leopards.

 

A staff member from the Xinjiang Ecological and Geological Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences says that snow leopard is included in the state-level protection list and in the international red paper of endangered species. Snow leopard now mainly lives in the Hymalayas and the mountainous areas in Central Asia. There are now only 6,000 snow leopards left in the world. China is a country boasting the most number of snow leopards in the world. In China, some 2,000 snow leopards now live in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and in the mountains in Xinjiang. Mt.Tomur is a place with a dense snow leopard population, where there are at least three snow leopards distributed in every one hundred square kilometer area.

 

Dr.Thomas from the International Snow Leopard Fund Association said they had recently conducted a research on the snow leopards living in Mt. Tomur, covering the population and distribution of snow leopards, and their relations with local people. Starting in September, they will offer a training course for the management staff of snow leopards and try to raise local people’s awareness of the protection of this animal. With these efforts, it is hoped that snow leopards can live harmoniously with local people.