March 23, Mustang. In Chumjung, Lomanthang-4 of Upper Mustang, a snow leopard attack has resulted in the death of 21 sheep and goats, while seven others were injured. According to the National Nature Conservation Fund and Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Lomanthang, the attack took place last Saturday night at a sheep and goat pen belonging to local herder Gyacho Gurung.
Umesh Paudel, head of ACAP, stated that the snow leopard killed 10 goats and 11 sheep. The pen housed 315 sheep and goats in total.
Upon receiving information about the attack, a team comprising representatives from ACAP Lomanthang, the District Police Office, and animal husbandry technicians from Lomanthang Rural Municipality visited the site on Sunday morning. According to Paudel, the pen was enclosed by a gable wire fence, yet the snow leopard managed to enter and inflict damage. Initial assessments estimate a loss of approximately NPR 455,000.
Earlier, on February 24, in Kimling, Lomanthang-4, an attack by a snow leopard on local herder Mingmar Gurung’s pen caused the death of nine goats and injuries to another nine. Similarly, in Marpha of Gharapjhong Rural Municipality-2 in the lower region of the district, two separate snow leopard attacks killed more than three dozen goats.
ACAP Lomanthang has installed three CCTV cameras in areas where snow leopards have caused damage to sheep and goats for monitoring purposes.
Across all five local municipalities of the district, camera installations and population monitoring are ongoing at likely snow leopard habitats. ACAP has been providing wildlife damage relief to herders affected by snow leopards and other wildlife through the National Park and Wildlife Department. According to the wildlife damage relief guidelines, compensation is given after assessing the value of the livestock lost. Because compensation from the wildlife department can take time, ACAP disburses relief from its internal fund to victims, according to Paudel.
The Himalayan district of Mustang has recently witnessed an escalating conflict between humans and snow leopards. Snow leopards have increasingly been entering local livestock pens and corrals, causing damage to livestock in high mountain grazing areas. This conflict has posed a serious threat to herding livelihoods, according to affected local herder Mingmar Gurung.
Moreover, due to the impact of climate change, grass shortage in high hill regions has forced snow leopards to seek food closer to human settlements. In recent years, sightings of snow leopards near the main highway and residential areas have become more frequent.
