A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE - Snow Leopard Network · A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Birga Dexel Co-ordinotor Snow...

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THE ILLEGAL TRADE IN SNOW LEOPARDS I A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Birga Dexel Co-ordinotor Snow Leopard Project, Germon Society for Nature Conseruation - Naturschutzbund DeutschLand (NABU), InvaLidenstr. 112, 10115 Bertin, Germony; e-noi I: bigo.dexel@ n a b u. d e CTION Central Asia, with core areas in the Altay, Tien Shan, Kun Lun, Pamir, Hinch,r Kush, Karakoram, and Himalaya ranges.The toarl area of suitable l"rabitat within the region is approxirn;rtely 1,230,000 km'?(SZSS 2002). Range c<>un- tries are, in alphaltetical orcler,Afghanistan, tshutan, Chi- na, Inclia, Kazal-rkstan, Kyrgyzstan,Mongolia, Nepal, Pak- istan, Russia, Tacliikistan ancl Uzbekistan. snow leopard (Uncia uncia) was listecl by tlie ing illegal trade in live specimen, parts ancl cle- Many range countries did not become a party t() till the late 1990sand some have n<>t joined at all CITES Parties in 1,975 on Appendix I. Since then cross-border trade has become an ever increasing to snow leopards, but no fr-rrther measures have taken in the framework of the c()nvention to ston leopard is fully protected in every range colln- the respective national laws and hunting as weil trade in live specimen and parts is prohibitecl. All countries with the exception of Bhutan have clifl- in enforcing these provisions. national and international tracle in live speci- and bones is, according to the gl<>bal netv/ork leopard experts (SZ,V) the major threat to the of the species, particularly in Central Asia (SISS report is the first of its kind to assirnilate thc scarce information availalrle, and to provide with evidence on the existence of this trade no comprehensivemeasuresare implementecl of urgency, will lead to the extinction of this It also presents new trade clata derived igations by the Kirghiz snow leopard enfbrce- Gruppa Bars,which is part of the joint Snow tion Programme of the Republic of Kyr- the German Sociefy for Nature Conseruation leopard is one of the least studied mam- wodd and it is a bio-indicator for the intesri- mountain ecosystems it inhabits. Its plight Nations Year of the Mountains 2002, de- attention of the international communitv. snow leopard population is estimated by between 3,350-7,000 specimen in the t Nowell andJackson 1996) Addttionally, imals are oart of the ex-situ conserwation and an unknown number are keot in ori- ide the zoo exchange breeding pro- , snow leopards inhabit the mountains of SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVATION MEASURES BY THE CMS AND CBD (.rlluL'nUn:.iqlt.l Llrn thU ti"$[,i:\nl,r*oilil.[lUl.l L .l l\,trirr1l",ilfurr y lii6r,rrt,ll;irls m$' \\iltln$ J\nlur*ltr {"{.lli{$\ The snow le<>parcl was listecl in Appenclix I in 19t15, thlrs indicating reliable eviclence of its enclangerlnent as a speciesthror-rgl-rout all or a significant portion of its range. States that are party to the Conventi()n mLlst (I) conserve ancl restore the snow leopard's habitats;(2) prevent, re- m()ve, compensate cir minimize any obstacles which miglrt seriously inlpede its rnigration, and (3) prevent, recluceor control fTrctors that are endangering or are like- ly to fr-rrther endanller the species. Llncia uncia w:rs de- clarecla concertecl action speciesunder the CMS Conven- tion at the COP in Bonn in September 2002. CITES and the CMS have recently signecla MOU, herewith formalis- ing and strengthening their co-operation. ilr.r ru llr,:,lrit.iuil'r.lu [:\ lnlis.rril i,ril [ [.[ irur I I [.] { {i. ill f} } The conservation ()f snow leopards and rernedial meas- ures have been inchlded in some Naticlnal Biocliversity Strategies and Action Plans of range states.The irnmense threat to the survival of the species in the wild lty the il- legal trade in live specimen, pelts, ancl Lroneshas, with few exceptions, not been addressed. THE CENTRAL ASIAN DIMENSION \(/ith the break-up of the former USSRand the inclepend- ence of the Central Asian Repr-rblics, Kazahkstan, Kyr- Tnfprnai-inn:l Podinroa Flnnlz fnr (nnur lonnrrdc lllnrin rrnrin\ - \/^l',md a

Transcript of A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE - Snow Leopard Network · A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Birga Dexel Co-ordinotor Snow...

Page 1: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE - Snow Leopard Network · A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Birga Dexel Co-ordinotor Snow Leopard Project, Germon Society for Nature Conseruation - Naturschutzbund DeutschLand

THE ILLEGAL TRADE IN SNOW LEOPARDS IA GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Birga Dexel

Co-ordinotor Snow Leopard Project, Germon Society for Nature Conseruation - Naturschutzbund DeutschLand (NABU), InvaLidenstr. 112, 10115 Bertin, Germony;e-noi I: bigo.dexel@ n a b u. d e

CTION Central Asia, with core areas in the Altay, Tien Shan, KunLun, Pamir, Hinch,r Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayaranges. The toarl area of suitable l"rabitat within the regionis approxirn;rtely 1,230,000 km'?(SZSS 2002). Range c<>un-tries are, in alphaltetical orcler, Afghanistan, tshutan, Chi-na, Inclia, Kazal-rkstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pak-istan, Russia, Tacliikistan ancl Uzbekistan.

snow leopard (Uncia uncia) was listecl by tlie

ing illegal trade in live specimen, parts ancl cle-Many range countries did not become a party t()

till the late 1990s and some have n<>t joined at all

CITES Parties in 1,975 on Appendix I. Since thencross-border trade has become an ever increasingto snow leopards, but no fr-rrther measures have

taken in the framework of the c()nvention to ston

leopard is fully protected in every range colln-the respective national laws and hunting as weil

trade in live specimen and parts is prohibitecl. Allcountries with the exception of Bhutan have clifl-in enforcing these provisions.

national and international tracle in live speci-and bones is, according to the gl<>bal netv/ork

leopard experts (SZ,V) the major threat to theof the species, particularly in Central Asia (SISS

report is the first of its kind to assirnilate thcscarce information availalrle, and to providewith evidence on the existence of this trade

no comprehensive measures are implementeclof urgency, will lead to the extinction of this

It also presents new trade clata derivedigations by the Kirghiz snow leopard enfbrce-

Gruppa Bars, which is part of the joint Snowtion Programme of the Republic of Kyr-

the German Sociefy for Nature Conseruation

leopard is one of the least studied mam-wodd and it is a bio-indicator for the intesri-

mountain ecosystems it inhabits. Its plightNations Year of the Mountains 2002, de-attention of the international communitv.

snow leopard population is estimated bybetween 3,350-7,000 specimen in the

t Nowell andJackson 1996) Addttionally,imals are oart of the ex-situ conserwationand an unknown number are keot in ori-

ide the zoo exchange breeding pro-

, snow leopards inhabit the mountains of

SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVATION MEASURES BYTHE CMS AND CBD

(.rlluL'nUn:.iqlt.l Llrn thU ti"$[,i:\nl,r*oilil.[lUl.l L .l l\,trirr1l",ilfurr y lii6r,rrt,ll;irlsm$' \\ i l t ln$ J\nlur*ltr {"{. l l i{$\

The snow le<>parcl was listecl in Appenclix I in 19t15, thlrsindicating reliable eviclence of its enclangerlnent as aspecies thror-rgl-rout all or a significant portion of its range.States that are party to the Conventi()n mLlst (I) conserveancl restore the snow leopard's habitats; (2) prevent, re-m()ve, compensate cir minimize any obstacles whichmiglrt seriously inlpede its rnigration, and (3) prevent,recluce or control fTrctors that are endangering or are like-ly to fr-rrther endanller the species. Llncia uncia w:rs de-clarecl a concertecl action species under the CMS Conven-tion at the COP in Bonn in September 2002. CITES andthe CMS have recently signecl a MOU, herewith formalis-ing and strengthening their co-operation.

ilr.r ru llr,:,lrit.iuil'r.lu [:\ lnlis.rril i,ril [ [.[ irur I I [.] { {i. ill f} }

The conservation ()f snow leopards and rernedial meas-ures have been inchlded in some Naticlnal BiocliversityStrategies and Action Plans of range states. The irnmensethreat to the survival of the species in the wild lty the il-legal trade in live specimen, pelts, ancl Lrones has, withfew exceptions, not been addressed.

THE CENTRAL ASIAN DIMENSION

\(/ith the break-up of the former USSR and the inclepend-ence of the Central Asian Repr-rblics, Kazahkstan, Kyr-

T n f p r n a i - i n n : l P o d i n r o a F l n n l z f n r ( n n u r l o n n r r d c l l l n r i n r r n r i n \ - \ / ^ l ' , m d a

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gyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the poaching of snowleopards and of other endangered species to supply in-ternational markets has increased significantly and tradein snow leopard skins has been widely reported(Kosbkareu 1994; Ioginou and Loginou 1995; Anon.1996). A major problem for endangered fauna of the for-mer USSR is that the pace of decline in their numbers isso rapid that there seems to be insufficient time to estab-lish an improved socio-economic system before manyspecies are totally eliminated from their home ranges.

Kyrgyzstan, the country which was once home to thesecond largest snow leopard population in the world,might have lost 50-80% of its former population (Dexel1999. The numbers in the other three Republics havebeen reduced to supply the skin trade and the demandfor live animals and bones. In the last decade evidencesuggests that bones are being traded presumably as sub-stitutes for tiger bones in order to supply the markets forTraditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Even though part of the Commonwealth of Indepen-dent States (CIS), the Central Asian countries have be-come less dependent on Russian trade and have insteadincreased their trade and intensified their relations withthe People's Republic of China.

The Evotution of the Trade in Central Asia

The historical trade in snow leopards throughout CentralAsia used to concentrate on pelts and live specimen. Theearliest registered trade in snow leopard skins dates backto 1,884. Kyrgyzstan was the main producer country forsnow leopard skins followed by Tadjikistan, Kazahkstanand Mongolia. Befween 1884 and 1.905, a minimum of954 skins came onto the markets from the Pzewalsk re-gion and Pischpek in Kyrgyzstan (= 900/o) and theDsharkent region in Kazahkstan (=10%o) which averages50 skins annually (Heptner 1980). The first data avatlableon the global trade dates back to 1,907. The world-widetrade in skins ran to between 500 and 1000 skins a yeartill the 1.920s (Heptner 1980).

From the beginning of the 1!th century onwards,live specimen were being caught in Kyrgyzstan for exportto Europe and America as well as for the zoological gar-dens of the former Soviet Union. Even though the specieswas described in 1779, it was not until 1.872, nearly 100years later, that the first specimen was exhibited inMoscow Zoo. Two young snow leopards were send forthis purpose from Turkestan (Heptner 1980).Eachyear, acouple of dozens animals were captured alive mainly inKyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan. In the 1940s and 1950s, 375live snow leopards were trapped in the Przewalsk regionof Kyrgyzstan. In the Issyk-Kul region of Krygysztan, 50specimen were trapped in three years in the 1950s alone(Berens 195D, and

'J.4 were captured in the first half of

1958 in Kyrgyzstan, In Tadjikistan animals were trappedin East Pamir and 50 animals were sold during the 1950s,in some years ten specimen annually (Heptner 198O).Be-fween 1963-1957 ,64 snow leopards were capture d (Free-rnan 1980). In 1979, two males were wild-caught in Kyr-

Wzstan (Blomquist 1980).Interest in the animal remained

consistently high due to the fact that wild-caught snowIeopards had a high mortality rate and a very short lifeexpectancy in zoos with many dying shortly after artival.

The trade in live specimen mainly supplied zoosaround the world. More than 900/o of the founder genera-tion of snow leopards of the international captive breed-ing programmes originate from Kyrgyzstan. Intense ef-fofis among the zoos to enhance the survival rate andbreeding success of snow leopards in captiviry deemedfurther supply of wild specimen from the 1980s onwardsunnecessary,

Live specimen were also sought after by private col-lectors. Additionally, wild caught snow leopards wereand in some cases still are given as presents betweenheads of states. In May 1993, the Bejing Zoo received apair of < 1 year old wild-caught cubs from A. Akaev, thePresident of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, as a gift when hevisited China (Banglie et al. 1994). Even though the cap-ture and trade in live specimen continues on a small scalein Kyrgyzstan, this trade segment no longer poses themost significant threat.

The trade in skins is undertaken on a far greaterscale. Pelts are used to make fur coats, hats and otherclothing items but are also rraditionally used in Kazahk-stan, Kytgyzstan, Mongolia and the Xingjiang province inChina as decorative wall mountings. Leopard skins are al-so displayed during festive activities such as the 3,000year anniversary of the foundation of the southernKirghiz city of Osh in 2000. During his inauguration, pres-ident N. Nazarbayev of Kazahkstan appeared in publicwearing a traditional Kazakh coat with a snow leopardfur collar (TRAFFIC 1998). Newspapers inKazakhstanan-nounced in 200I that A. Akaev had presented his Kazakhcounterpart with a snow ieopard pelt for his sixtieth birth-day (pers. comm. Lenk 2O01).

KAZAHKSTAN

Population estfunate: Annenkov (1990) rcported about 65 to 70 snowleopards in a 8,200 km2 area, giving a mean density of 0.83 individualsper 100 kmz (CMS 2OO2). Kirghiz snow leopar<l experts believe thenumber of snow leopards in the border region with Kyrgyzstan to num-ber less than 20 (pers, comm. NABLI Tien Sban 2O02).

Kazahkstan is the only newly independent republicwhere trade in snow leopard bones has been reported tooccur (,Bo 2OO2; SISS Trade Session 2OO2, Seattle). Bostates that between 6-10 snow leopards are poached an-nually (Bo 2O02) with no seizures or arresrs taking placein the last ten years (pers. comm. CITES Kazakb Manage-ment Autbority). There have been repofis that severalsnow leopard skins were sold in the former capitai of Al-maty to foreigners in the first half of the 1990s. ln 1993,local newspapers published private sale advertisementsfor snow leopard skins and in 1994-95, 10 skins weresold for berween US $3,000-$7,000 (TRAFFIC 1998).

Informants notified Kirghiz investigators that twoKazakh citizens had travelled to Kyrgyzstan in the sum-

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mer of 2002 in search of live snow leopzrrcls offering US$25,000 for one anim:r1.

KYRGYZSTAN

Population estimate; Koshkarev (1989) mappccl snow leopard occur_rence over much of its rangc in Kyrlayzstan, recorcling 20 inhaltited areas(totaling 6,554 knz), with an csrimarecl popul:rtion of 113-157 animals.Estimated density ranged betwecn 0,8 ancl 4.7 anim:rls per 1OO kmz, av_er^ging 2.4 animals (SI5S 2002).Wjth nearly 66,0{JO km2 ol. potentialhabitat in the c.iuntry, a consetwativc estim:lte of 6(10 srrow lcop:rros(1/km'?) were likely present in 1990. l)Lre to rhe high lcvel of poachin.qin the course of the 1990s, the population has clccreasccl significantly,some experts believe by as much as 50 to 80 perccnt, but no rcliablc- n:r_tional population estimate is availablc at prcsent (Dexel 20Ol ).

The hunting of snow leoparcl has been fbrbidcien in Kyr-gyzstan since the 1950s. During Soviet times, only certifieclstaff members of the so-callecl "Zoocombinat" were al-lowed to catch live snow leopards for export to zoologi-cal institutions around the world. Between j,936_l9gg,42Osnow leopards were caught (Ale.yne 199()). Shortly afterthe country's independence the Zoocoml>inat was clissolv-ed and the official commercial export of specimen seizecl.

In1,999, the German Society fctr Nature Conservatron(NABU) signed a bi-lateral agreemenr with the Ministry ofEnvironment for the Republic of Kyrgyzstan on a com-prehensive joint snow leoparcl c()nservation pr()flramtne.The contract was extended in Septemlrer 2001 fi>r- ten

years. The programme inv<>lves a i()int anti-D()ach-team (Gruppa Bars) as well as environlnental edLlca-, research, and eco-tourism.NABU was the first organization to become activelyved in the conservation of the species in Kyrgyzsran

ing the depletion of nr-rmbers that had apparentlyduring the 1990s.

in Skins

to Koshkarev, snow leopard skins were oncefor the equivalent of one horse or five domesticbut this has changed dramatically. Depencling on

snow leopard skins could be obtainecl clurinsof 1993-94 for a price equal ro berween US

$2,000. E. Koshkarev personally olrservecl 12skins, trapped along the northern slope of

i Natau, being offered for sale lry a tracler clur-winter of 1994 in the village of Pokrovka (nowyzyl-Su). Another 10 skins, trapped in rhe winter

were discovered on sale through a dealer inKoshkarev concluded that probably half the

population had akeady been poachecl by the(Kosbkareu 1994)

Seizures by the Snow [e*pnr,rtrTeam - Gruppa Hans

accounts are the result of undercover-in-by the Snow Leopard Enforcement Group -, In most of the operations, foreigners, who

posed as potential bi-ryers, were involved.In 1998, two women were arrested in Relowoclskoje

trying to sell 2 snow leopard skins for US $g00. In Octo_ber 1999, one man was arrestecl in the capital of Bishkekfor attempting to sell through en inrerrnediery a skin withskull for tls $1,000. In September 2000, a man was arresr_ed in Sokr-rluk, trying to sell a well-tannecl skin with skullfor US $800. In December 2000, one m2ln was arrestecl fortrying to sell an injured, ageing snow leopard for US$6,000. In February 2001, two women were arrestecl inthe Dostr-rk Hotel in Bishkek for trying to sell a skin withskr-rll fbr US $1,000. A few days larer, one f-emale shopowner was arrestecl in her souvenir shop in the pinareHotel in Ilishkek firr offering a skin for US $350. Again, inFebruary 2001, the Manas Airport veterinarian was affest_ed fbr trying to sell a freshly killed snow leopard skincomplere with bloocl and flesh for US $1,000. He hactwanted extra cash for the skr-rll. InJune 200I, a str_rclent ofthe lrolytecl-rnical Institr-rt of Bishkek was arrestecl for try_ing to sell an old skin with skull for US $900. In Seotem_ber 2001, a male resident of the Issyk-Kul region was ar_restecl in the Hotel Hyatt in Bishkek for attempting to selltwo snow leoparcl skins for US $500 each. In December2001, one man was arrested in Bishkek for trying to sell<rne skin with skr-rll fr>r US $1,000. In February 2002, oneman was arrestecl for selling one snow leopard skin fortis IE1,500. In April 2002, two members of the Secret Ser_vice were arrestecl firr trying to sell two badly injured livesnow leoparcls fi>r tJS $22,000 in tsishkek.

lletween 1999-2002, the Kirghiz Gruppa Bars confis_catccl 3 live snow le<tpard cubs ancl 16 Snow Leopardskins. 110 poachers ancl traders were arrestecl, 162 armsc<rnfiscatecl ancl 232 gin traps, 119 ordinary snares ancl 79snares specifically clesigned fctr snow leoparcls were cle_stroyed. Tlie arrests ancl unclercover investigati()ns int()the tracle revealed the existence <tf organised, i.e. firezln_ing the inv<tlvement of zL netw<irk partly operating by or_clers of clients, along with r-rnorganised, meanlnll ()pp()r-tunistic, tracle structLtres in Kyrgyzstan. The organisedtrade segment has cross-Lrorcler links cast t<t China anclnorth-west via Kazzrhkstan to Russia. Organisecl tracle net_works consist of severel mcml)crs who dell with endan-gered species anc'l have a network of loca1 hnnters work_ing for tliem. Trade with China is also concluctecl lty theKirghiz minority group of tJighurs living in Kyrgyzstanand across the borcler in the Xinjiang province of \WesternChina. TRAFFIC fc;und fr-rrther eviclence in 199g of an ille_gal tracle in snow leoparcl skins at the borcler betweenKyrgyzstan and China.

The prices for skins witl-r skulls range frorn US $500to 91,500; live snow leopards are offered for LlSg 5,000 to$11,000 per animal. There is no infbrmation available onwhether bones are also tracled.

TADJIKISTAN

Population estimate: Sokov (1990) estjmates the nlrmber at about 200to 300, signiflcantly higher than previous csrimares (CMS 2002).

I n t a r n : f i n n ' l D ^ i ; ^ " ^ ^ D ^ ^ 1 , I ^ - c ^ ^

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Tra#c] iil 5ii'rinn

In Tadjikistan, trade has been reported in skins of snow

leopard and Tien Shan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos isabelli-

nus.). In the spring of 7995,1 snow leopard skin was re-

ported traded in a town market for between US

$300-$400. In tl-re same year 10 snow leopard skins were

confiscated at the border by customs officers (TRAFFIC

1995). In the Pamiro-Altai, the local Kirghiz population

kiil up to 7 snow ieoparcls annually and sells them to for-

eigners (pers. comm. Kasirou 2001).

TnadE* $n {".ir i* J\rdrnnIr;

On 10 December 2000, the Kirghiz anti-poaching unit

Gruppa Bars confiscatecl a baclly injured 6-month olcl fe-

male snow leopard, which hacl been catrght according to

the arrested traders in the Pamir Mountains in.Jtlne 2000.

$lrmvw ["mmyrmrd h{ttn{:Imtl

A Moscow basecl hr,rnting company has off'ered sn<lw

leopard hunts on the \f<rrld'il7icle Web. Inclu<lecl on their

web site is a photograph of a loca1 httnter with a cleacl

snow leopard around his neck. 'fhe phot<>graph is lrc-

lieved to have been taken in tl're Balankiik valley of the

Pamir mountains in Tadiiskistan. The c<>st is US $7,520per cat including a CITES permit. The hr-rnt was strpp<>secl

to take place either in the sec<>ncl half of Oct<;ber <>r the

end of March/ beginning of April (wtatu'sc.tfafi.rtt/nem/

29.htm).

UZBEKISTAN

Population estimate: Thc status of the snow leoparcl popr.tlation is nttt

known precisely, assessmcnts v:rry froln 20-50 spccinrcn in rLn rtrcrt tri

7,350km2 (cMS 2002).

Historically, 29 fr.rrs were tracled fiom Uzbekistan in

1.951-59. Despite having a faitly small population,

Volozheninov stated (1956), tl'iat as many as 10 individu-

als were reported killed or capturecl annually (quotecl in

Espinou 199t.The Uzbek government confiscated one fur in 1990

which was believed to have originated in Kazahkstan(pers. comm. Mukh ina-Kreuzberg 2002)

In 1998, State Game inspectr>rs interwiewecl by

TRAFFIC mentioned that local people hunt Tien Shan

Brown Bear and snow leopard f<rr the pelts, which they

sell to foreigners (TMFFIC l99u).

CHINA

Population estimate: The population is estimatecl to be abolrt 1,400

specimen (Fox 1989tt), but this data cxcludes Sichuan and the poten

tially significant populations of 'l ' ibet. Estimates for Tibet and Sichuan

Province are not presently available. The total Chinese popr:lation is es-

timated to bc somer.herc tn the region of between 2,000 to 2,500 ani-

mals. A rccenf surwey in lnner Mongolia indicates the species to bc on

the brink of extinction (SLSS 2002).

China is home to the largest snow leopard population but

the evidence slrggests that it is also the biggest market for

snow leopard skins, bones, and probably live specimen.Even the use and trade of snow leopard meat has beenreported. Pelts, bones and live animals on the Chinesemarket do seem to originate not only from China, but al-

so fiom the neighbouring Central Asian (Unep/'S7CMC)

countries as well as Neoal. India and Pakistan.

.[r,r,r,r ll .l6 I.,i[tiil$

Skins are being smuggled into China, br-rt also originatefrom native snow leoparcls. Novelty furs have tleen seen

on sale throughout Chine and Taiwan (Anon. 1987e; Low

199 t ; . luc'kson t992: Fox 1994).

l"n ln [i\;u i,rri [r, n $' "liit urrrl.{ i ;r irltl,*trt"l {(;ls{rt,{r.l t'

There are reports <tf snow le<tparcl skins being ()n sale

throughout China however the city of Kashgar in the Xin-jiang Uigl-iur Aut<>nomous Regic>n seems to be growing as

a centre fi>r the skin tracle in western China. Travellers t<r

Kashgar report that ck>zens ()f sn()w le<>parcl pelts were

on sale in Kashgar l>az,aars. Acc<>rcling to B<>, 20-30 snowlet>parcls are poachecl in the Uighur Ilegion annually. The

<>ther furs on sale in Kashgar hztve m<tst likely <>riginatedfr<>m the Central Asian Republics. Ilo states that the hr-rnt-

ing of snow le<>pards lty herders has increasecl inXingliang cllle t() market clemancl. Snow leoparcl skins caneasily and openly be <tbtained in Xinliang ancl prices of

LIS $1,000 for one firr are qlx)ted (.pers. comm. Theus2002).

In 1993, two Oxforc'l University stlldents were fblrnd

buying snow leopard pelts in a bazaar in Kashgar fbr on-

ly US $100 (Tar 1993t end in 19()6, a German molrn-

taineer fbund between 5-10 snttw leoparcl pelts in a shopin the market ()f Kashgar. The shop was chosen at ran-

dom, and the mountaineer repofied that it was unlikely tobe the <rnly one offering sttch items (Anon. 1996). In1999, a traveller informed NAIlll of snow leopard skins

being sold in the shop of the Kashgar Arts and Craft Com-pany in Kashgar. The shop assistant stated that the furs

were particularly popular with Japanese buyers (pers.

comm. Meyer 199n. Further information on the zrvailabil-ity of snow leopard furs at a b^zaat in Kashgar was given

by two German tour guides who spend time in the region

on a regular basis (pers. comm. 2OO0 anc.l 2002).In October 2001, the police in Akesu arrested a

herdsman in Tahelahe for trapping and killing a snowleopard. He was subsequently sentenced to ten years im-prisonment. The man had trapped the snow leopard in-side the Tuomur Mountain Nature Reserve. In XiniiangTekesi county, aKhazk herder caught tlvo snow leopards

on January 28 and Feb. 4, 2002. He was subsequently ar-

rested by the Yili Forestry Police on March 77 @o 2002).

Singh

In 19tappfedownsub-a,The p

snowtains

Qinghwere IBangjiity of rof Qirsnow1990,

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Qinghai Province

ln t984, a gang of 12 miners from Tianzun county wereapprehended. In the L2 years (1972-1,984), they hunteddown some 28 snow leopards, including 15 adults, sixsub-adults, and seven young (less than one year) animals.rThe poaching took place at Sule village, Tianzun county.

From February to May 1983, eight people killed 18leopards and captured another young in the moun-

ins near the Gouili village, Dulan counfy in central

flnghai. The young animal died shortly after capture. Allsold to purchasing agents. According to Yanfa and

jie, all these cases of poaching occurred in the vicin-mnes (Yanfa & Bangjie 1988). The official statistics

i province show "that from 1988-1995 sixtyleopards were reportedly killed. ln Februay 25,five villagers from Huangzhong County killed 14leopards at Kekexili. According to Qinghai Forestry

, since 1990 more than 100 snow leopards havehed in the province alone" (Bo 2OO2). Bangjie

(1988) a rapid decline of snow leopard re-at Xiugou in central Qinghai. In June 1990, Xin-

in Qinghai Province confiscated 40 snow leop-stored at a taxidermist's house (Bo 2O02).

reported that local people in Nangqian coun-sell a young wild-caught snow leopard in Au-The asking price was 1,300 Wan. The animalthey could find a buyer. In November 1990, a

dic herdsman caotured a cub that he600 yuan to a researcher who subsequently

the animal before releasing it (Harrisstates that the value of snow leooards in the

known to the local people. In addition toyuan - the potential price from the sale ofthe bones can also be sold for about 600(Harris 1994)1996, Maxin County officers arrested two

a snow leopard pelt (Bo 2OO2)1", fwo snow leopard cub pelts were 6000R-\,IB bed/sofa cover came from a snow leopard peltion Commercial Building. According to

andJiuzaigou are two major collec-leopard pelts from Qinghai, Gangsu,

afeas. An investigation conducted998 revealed more than 20 snow leop-

counfy and 5 in Jiuzaigou.as a hub for wildlife traders" (Bo

travelling by road on her way fromimu National Park, a German trav-

booths with 10 snow leooard furssellers told her that the furs were

buyers (pers. comm. Licbtenberg

of Tibet

widespread existence of illegalwildlife by organised criminal

of the Chinese anti-poaching

team in the Autonomous Region of Tibet have been mur-dered (Cook et al. 2OO2).

The region has a certain tradition in the hunting andtrade of snow leopards. Snow leopards were killed untilthe 1990s as part of predator control programmes insti-gated by the authorities in the districrs of the Tibet Au-tonomous Region. Herders and farmers were offered cashfor snow leopard pelts. Ammunition was freely distrib-uted or sold at heavily subsidised rates. Funding for theprogramme accrued in part from the sales of raw ottanned furs for the manufacture of snow leopard furcoats. But pelts were increasingly sold on the black mar-ket where higher prices were obtained. One official esti-mated that less than 300/o of the pelts of snow leopardsand other cats were being turned over to the bureaumanaging the programme (Miller and Jackson 1994).

Snow leopards skins are openly on sale in the mar-ket of Lhasa (www.tewaorg) and a representative of Fau-na and Flora International (FFI) saw between 5-10 snowleopard skins for sale while travelling the Tibetan Plateauin 2000 (pers. comm. FFI 2OO0). Jackson stated that asnow leopard skin is worth US $9 to $18 Dollars (50-100Yuan) to a poor villager (Jackson et al. 1992). Rare ani-mal skins, which could include snow leopards, are open-ly traded in Labrang, Amdo (Qinghai) without any Iegalpenalties imposed on the hunters (Anon.2002b).

Two snow leopards were killed by a Tibetan nomadwith a steal trap, after Chinese traders had inquired aboutthe availability of snow leopard skins. After being killedthe skins were sold for 500 )'uan - equal to the value oftwo young yaks (Anon. 2O02d).

Sejing and f;astern Chtna

Johnson and Yu reported (1996) the trade of snow leop-ard skins from Bejing and Bo identified a snow leopardpelt in 1996 which was sold at a fitr store near the ciry'sCapital Palace Hotel. The shop assistant admitted the

but claimed to be unaware that the sale was illegal (Bo200D.

Eastern China is also a market for snow leopardskins. A store manager in Tianjin on China's east coasttold TRAFFIC investigators that several wealthy customersfrom northeast and eastern China had previously pur-chased snow leopard skins to hang on their walls Qobn-son and Yu 1996).In May 1.999 17 snow leopard peltscollected from Hohhot, Shanghai and Funzhou in Lian-jiang Counfy of Fujian Province were confiscated. Dealersin eastern China are mostly middle-men who again sellthe pelts to Taiwan. The majority of wildlife skin tradeemanates from mainland China. In 1989, Kristin identifieda taxidermist in Taipei who dealt in snow leopard skins(Bo 2oo2).

Trade in Live Specimen

The trade in live specimen seems to occur on behalf ofzoos, private collections both inside and outside China,and also for circuses and as gifts during state visits.

Internat ional Pedinree Rook fnr Snnw lcnnerd< l l lnr in r tnr in\ - \ /nlrrmo a

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Trade in l-ive Sp*cirn*n for Zsos

Nearly all snow leopards kept by Chinese zoos are wild-

caught. This practice is illegal. If a buyer cannot be found

the animals will be killed and sold for skin and bone(.Yanfa E Bangjie 1988). According to Bo, most Chinese

zoos would still be prepared to accept or buy snow leop-

ards if caught alive. In March 1997, a snow leopard was

reportedly rescued from a water reselvoir. Instead of be-

ing released the animal was given to Urumqi Zoo (Bo

2002). Part of the problem is the low reproductivity of

snow leopards in Chinese zoosl a problem which has

been completely resolved in Europe and the USA. The

first successful breeding of snow leopards took place in

the 80s when a litter was born in Xining Zoo. ln 2002,

NABU received a letter from a Beling zoologist asking for

support in finding a suitable male for two wild-caught fe-

males (pers. comm. 2OO2).

Trnde {n [-ive $pucirn*n f{}r ({rcusms

Even though there is only one historical case known

where snow leopards have performed in a Circus, a

ranger inKrygyzstan told NABU investigators in 1'999 that

the Chinese had travelled to Kyrgyzstan repeatedly on

behalf of Chinese circuses to buy snow leopards.

Trade im fisnes

In China, snow leopard bones are much in demand for

their medicinal use, and probably represent their primary

indigenous value today (Scbell 1982; Yanfa €t Bangiie

1988). Leopard bone has been used for some time as a

substitute for tiger bones in the manufacture of drug wine

which sells far and wide in China and Southeast Asia. The

poaching of snow leopards in China is therefore closely

connected with this business (Liao Yanfa E Tan Banglie

1988). RodneyJackson has described how a Chinese en-

gineer bought the remains of a snow leopard in Tibet and

took them away in his truck for sale (Jackson 1991).

Traders will pay up to US $l9O for a snow leopard skele-

ton in Tibet Qackson et al. 1994). Much of China's supply

of snow leopard bones is thought to originate from the

Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding Himalayan Range(Bajimaja et al. 2001).

Trade in Snow Leopard Meet

It has also been reported that the meat of snow leopard

has been served as an exotic dish in Sichuan. A news re-

port reveals that in September 2000, a restaurant in

Chengdu served snow leopard meals at 128 Yuan per

dish. The restaurant staff insisted the meat was from a

snow leopard caught in the wild (Bo 2OO2)A man was detained in Xining in China's Northwest

Qinghai Province after he was caught trying to sell fwo

dead snow leopards to a beef shop in Sichuan province.

He had bought the dead snow leopards at a local market

and wanted to smuggle them to Deyang in Sichuan

province. 'When police searched his apartment they also

found heads and antlers of deer, as well as furs of lynxand fox (Anon. 2OOO)

RUSSIA

Population estimate: Snow leopards have reportedly been seen in the

Altay and Sayan ranges bordering the People's Republic of Mongolia.

Smirnov et al. (1990) estimate that about 80 snow leopards reside in

southern Siberia, including those animals that wander into Mongolian

territory. The southern Siberian snow leopards are isolated from those

of Central Asia. Sopin (197D estimates mean densities at 0.75 to 1.5

snow leopards per 100 km2 in pafts of the Altai Mountains, for a total

population of about 40 (SLSS 2002).

Trade in $kins

The fur trade has expanded in Russia since the mid-1990swith large predator furs and skins as well as bear gallbladders being reportedly the most widely sold and ex-ported wildlife products (Peresuetowa). Moscow and thecity of Kaliningrad have become a growing centre for thelegal and illegal fur trade. Customers being both Russianand non-Russian. Snow leopard pelts sell on the blackmarket for between US $5,000-$15,000. In April 2000,2snow leopard skins were offered to a team of undercov-er investigators by members of a Russian-Chinese wildlifecrime syndicate (IFAW Press Release 13 April 2000). Sincethe 1990s, skins of Mongolian snow leopards periodically

entered the Russian market. At least ten skins come everywinter through the boundary post Tashanta in the AltaiMountains, (data of Bound.ary and Customs Seruices). Ac'cording to Koshkarev (2002), the prices for these skinsare 4-5 times lower ($50) than the cheap ones from Rus-sia ($200-$250).

Poaching for endangered species has increased dra-matically with the lowering of protection standards(Peresuetoua), In the absence of effective enforcementmechanism, this trend will most likely continue.

Tradn im ffinnes

There is no available information on bone trade fromRussia and the sale of snow leopard bone appears to beunknown in the border regions of Russia and Mongolia(Kosbkareu 2002). However, medicinal wildlife expofrom Russia to China have increased in quantify and habroadened to include a whole range of species. Intion to China, these products are primarily exportedHong Kong, Japan, Korea and Macau.

fith*r

An IFA'W investigator saw a snow leopard cub used byMoscow street photographer for tourists rn 1997com?n.IFAW 199D.

Russian based companies are involved in offeringlegal snow leopard hunts in the countries of theSoviet Union (Hofer 2OO2; see also Tadjikistan section)

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MONGOLIA

Population estimate: The popLrlation is believed to nllmber about1,000 in an occupiccl range of about 103,000 km2 (SLSS 2002).

Trade in $fr'ifis

80 snow leopards were killed in 1908, 40 in 1927, andabout 20 specimen annually from 1929-32, 70 in 1933, 40in t934, then 15-25 annually vp t<t I)44 (Heptner 1980)

Stubbe stated in 7965 that hunting was still permittedannually in Mongolia between 15 Oct-28 F'eb. Snow

were usually caught by spring traps lefi near car-or shot by hunters who happened on them by

while hunting ibex (Stubbe 1965). Hilrbert esti-ted that in 1968 only, 40-50 animals were killed

Snow leopards are hunted for their furs in Mongoliaas decorative wall mounts in turts. Or they are

y offered for sale. They have been seen in open dis-in yurts (pers. comm. Denzau 199n, and in the cap-

Ulan Bator (Reuters 2002). Frctm IL)92-1"995, Mongo-customs and police confiscated 84 pelts (35% otwere old pelts) an average of twenty pelts per year

1999.Trade in skins and body parts is ex-to show an increase once law enforcement meth-

documentation, currently very weak, impr<>veLeopard Management Plan oJ'Mongolia 2OOO).

Hunting

is the only country which once hacl an <>flicialprogramme for snow leopards. Althorlghhas been terminated, according t<> a hunt-

tor illegal trophy hunting of snow ler>pards still

a trophy-hunting programme was carriec'la permitted quota of five snow leopards. These

ered problem animals believed to have beenlocal livestock, The trophy hunting fees for

in 1985 were US $11,200 per animal, andwere conducted successfully. A hunt for

ibex, and black-tailed gazelle were allowedwith a snow leooard hunt for an addition-

(O'Gara 1988; Anon. 1987b)a German hunting party was reported to

permission to hunt Marco Polo Sheep andin the Pamir mountains. The illegal guidedleopard and Marco Polo Sheep was avail-000. Hunting of Marco Polo Sheep andwas carried out using military and state-

(TRAFFTC 1998),female Spanish hunter was serior-rsly in-

hunt for snow leopard (pers. comm.2001). Reuter reported that l!-day sa-Ieopards were being offered to Ameri-each and that pelts from snow leop-from local hunters for as little as US

NEPAL

Population estimate: The population was estimated at betwecn150-300 Qttckson 1979, a more reccnt estilnate put the figure at bc-tween 350-500, based on computer modclling using a map derivedHalritat Stritabiliry Index System (/ackson anc.l Ahlb<trn 199O). Jacksonand Ahlborn (1989) reportcd densities of 5-10 snow leoparcls pcr 10t)kmz in the remote Langu Valley of west Nepal, slightly higher than esti-n'ratecl densities for Nar Phu located north of Annapurna (SISS 2OO2).

Both trade in snow leopard skins and bones has beendocumentecl in Nepal. The Nepalese capital of Kathman-du is a known centre for the illegal tracle in cat skins. Thefur trade is in the hands of Kashmiri traders and furs wereopenly sold towards the end of the 1980s. In the wake ofnegative international publicity and pressure, the tradeappears to have movecl undergrouncl but is, nevertheless,stil1 existing. Snow leopards are also being killed in retal-iation fbr the loss of livestock. It is, however, unclearwhether the skins and bones of these so called oroblemanimals are fed into the trade.

tr'l;,lu$u $ul L$kilus

The first comprehensive investigation into the illegal tradein cat furs in Kathmandlr was undertaken by Barnes in19ilil. He surueyed fr-rr shops and found among other catskins f<>ur l()ng coats of snow leopard skins and 2 hats(Barnes 1989.In 1989, <>ne investigator reported finding12 sn<>w leopard pelts, with one five-star hotel offering afur-coat fcrr US $3,000 (Baiimaia et al. 20O1).Ln1.992,vanGruisen and Sinclair clicl not see any snow leoparcl skinsor other prodncts, but were told of one shop where alarge selection of snow leopard skins and coats were as-surned to be kept. Local residents reported having seen asnow leopard coat availalrle fbr sale in a shop only a fewweeks earlier and several traders spoke of them beingavailable (uan Gnilsen anrJ Sinclair 1992). Another sur-vey in 1993 fbund the number of fr-rr shops hacl increaseddespite an apparent clecline in fr-rr clemancl (Baiimaia eta l . 2O01) .

Barnes, Gn:isen and Sinclair as well as Bajimaja et a1.recorcled a significant number of Kashmiri traciers inKathmandu. Gruisen and Sinclair came to the conclusionthat there was a stron[a likelihood that a number of thespecies sold might have originated in Inclia. This assump-tion can further be supported by the fact that Srinagar,

Jammu and Kashmir are the centres for the Indian furtrade. Due to the political turmoil in these areas manyKashmiri have moved to Kathmandu but have r-rpheldtheir business ties with their homelancl (uan Gntisen andSinclair 1992). Rai also highlights the existence of an or-ganized wildlife tracle route in place between India andNepal (Rai 2OO1).

Poaching of snow leopards for their skins has beendocumented since the start of international snow leopardconservation activities in the country in the 1970s. Jack-son has stated that locai hunters have received betweenUS $10 and $50 for skins in Nepal, an amount compara-ble to the yearly cash income for these villagers (Jacksonof Ulan Bator (Reuters 20O2).

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frerfixany

In Germany, a ring of smugglers were arrested trying to

smuggle snow leopard furs from the Mongolian caprtal of

Ulan Bator via Prague into Germany (Pers. comm. 2001

nattefeld). A man tried to auction a leopard skin with

skull classified as a snow leopard skin vla e-bay in Sep-

tember 2002. The man operating under the pseudonym of

Huskymeyer wanted a minimum of 199 Euro for the skin.

France

A live specimen which had been transported in a car

fromKyrgyzstan via Yugoslavia, Turkey, Egypt, Morrocco

and Spain was confiscated in the South of France (Sante

Magazin in Sept. 20OO, pers. comm. Bourneuf 2002).

Fntamal

Two snow leopard skins were offered fclr sale by Rus-

sians for 300 PLN in the \Warsaw centre near the Cultural

Palace in 1991.. One Russian citizen tried to sell one skin

in Sopot. ln 1992 a hunter imported one skin from Mon-

golia and one hunting shop offered the head of a snow

leopard (hunting trophy) (Wajrak 1994). According to a

report from Bialowieza, a Polish woman had been seen

wearing snow leopard fur (pers. comm. Smielowsky

199D.

ANALYSF OF MARKETS AND PRICES

No estimates, by the very nature of this trade, are avail-

able neither on the extent, nor on the value of the illegai

trade in snow leopards. However, there is ample evi-

dence to suggest that national and international trade

takes place in live specimen, furs and items made from

snow leopards. There is trade in bones and possibly also

in meat. No research has been undertaken on the market

avallabihty of manufactured TCM products containing

snow leopard bone.Bhutan is the only one of the twelve range countries

where the commercial trade in snow leopards is either

non-existent or unrecorded. The skin trade has been

recorded in the other remaining eleven range states.

Bones are reportedly traded in China, Nepal, and Kaza-

khstan. Live animals have been traded in Kyrgyzstan, Chi-

na. Pakistan and Tadiikistan. China is the only country to

use skin, bones, and live animals as well as the meat. The

live animals and other parts serve different market seg-

ments and it can be assumed that China is the biggest

consumer of snow leopards. It is at the same time also

home to the largest snow leopard population and drains

national as well as international snow leopard popula-

tions to supply its markets.Globally, the trade in wild fauna and flora is estimat-

ed to be worth US $159 billion ^yeat. The rewards the il-

legal wildlife trade offers are very high and probably sec-

ond only to the drug trade in terms of the potential levels

of profit on offer (Cook et al. 2OO2). According to a study

of the University of \Tolverton, "there is increasing evi-

dence that more organised crime elements are becoming

engaged in the most lucrative areas of the illegal wildlife

trade. Existing smuggling routes used by serious organ-

ised crime groups for their trade in other iilegal com-

modities (such as small arms, drugs and humans) can be

readily used for additional profitable products - such as

wildlife" (Cook et al. 2O02).In Central Asia and Russia, the pressure on wild

snow leopard populations results from the combination

of market demand for skins and live antmal in conjunc-

tion with very weak enforcement regimes. The latter are

not able to act as a deterrent to wildlife criminals but op-

erate as a further incentive, With penalties being either

low or non-existent and rewards high, more and more or-

dinary criminals are moving into the lucrative wildlife

trade business. There is growing evidence of major or-

ganised crime group involvement in the wildlife trade in

the countries of the former Soviet Union, where the

added dimension of violence is clearly evident (Cook et

al. 2O02). At the same time, high unemployment causes

further poaching of snow leopards and their prey species

in the mountain areas they inhabit.Retaliatory killing is not an issue for Central Asia. Af-

ter the collapse of the USSR, numbers of domestic stockshave plummeted as a result of the dismantling of state

agricultural holdings. Snow leopards are killed in Nepal,

India, and Pakistan in retaliation for livestock loss by lo-

cal herders. In India, herders are hired to kill so-calledproblem snow leopards, which are in turn subsequently

fed back into the trade system. In India, the trade in ani-

mal skins, which was believed to have decreased in the

1990s, is blossoming with an obviously highly organised(poaching to production) network involved. In Chi

with the increasing demand for wildlife, people ha

rushed in recent years into the wildlife trade attracted

the lure oi high profits t Yang and Song).There is only patchy information available on

paid for pelts, bones and live animals. Prices for

vary across the range. They are highest in Russia,

due to very high demand, and lowest in Mongolia.

could also be an indicator of the level of organisationthe number of traders involved: the more links in a

chain, the higher the price.

i lnices uf Sktms

No information is available for skins from Bhutan

Uzbekistan. In China, depending on the location,

vary between US $100 for two pelts (1993) and US $1for one skin offered for sale in Kashgar (2002). In

hai, a figure of betlveen 300-500 )-Llan was quoted for

sale of an adult pelt(1.994').In the Tibet Autonomousgion in 2002, prices were quoted of 500 )-uan (= US

for two pelts and us $9-$18 (50-100 Yuan) in 1

Pakistan, a fur was offered for sale for Rs 15,000

istani) in Lahore in 2001. In Nepal, local hunters

t

l

It

IJ

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said to receive between US $10 and $50 for skins. InMongolia in 2002, pelts are said to be available by localhunters for as little as $25 each on the streets of Ulan Ba-tor. A similar figure was given from the Russian-Mongo-

border where prices of US $50 for one fur were quot-. This compares with the price of Russian furs where

cheapest would cost bemveen US $200 and $250. In. oelts are said to sell on the black market for be-

US $5,000-$15,000 (2002). In Kazahkstan, skinsfor befween US $300-$700 in 1998 and in neighbour-Kyrgyzstan skins with skull sel1 for between US

1,500. In Tadjikistan, one skin was traded in 7995$500. In Pakistan, a ftader receives US $1,000 for

In 2001, an unprofessionally stuffed snow leop-on sale for US $500 in a shop inFaizabad. north-

istan. In the USA. pre-Convention skins werefor US $9,000 (1984), and in 1995 a trader tried to

hides for US $8.000 and one other for US

Coats

., figures of US $60,000 have been quoted forleopard coat in Europe and USA and possibly

of this magnitude were indeed paid inthe \fest then the profit margin for tradersite vast. Good quality coats are made of the

the snow leopard and the number of skinscoatvary befween 6-12 skins. In China a fur

in 1985 to an American tourist for USan investigator reported finding one five-

a fur-coat for $3,000 in 1.989.

is available on the price of snowin the Autonomous Region of Tibet

$190 for one skeleton (1994) and in, the bones can be sold for about

can fetch more than US $300 on

1.,300 )man was charged for oneand another animal was sold for

n, live snow leopards areUS $5.000 and $11.000

meat sold by a restaurant inUS $16 per dish (2000).

safaris were offered tc-r. In 1,992, a German

to have had permission toSnow Leooards in the Pamir

mountains. The guided hunt on snow leopard and MarcoPolo Sheep was available for US $4,000. In 1986, the rro-phy-hunting fee for snow leopards was US $11,200 peranimal. In Tadjikistan in 2000 a Russian company offeredsnow leopard hunts for US $7,520 per animal.

fon*umer Mar$t'ets

Far too little information is available on the nature of theconsumer markets for live animals, pelts, bones, meats,and hunts. China and Russia seem to be, from the presentavailable knowledge, the biggest markets for pelts. InChina, pelts from western China and most likely CentralAsia are sold to tourists in Xingjiang. According to theshop owners, Japanese are the main buyers. No informa-tion has been obtained on whether there have been anyseizures of snow leopard skins from tourists returning toJapan. The skins have also made their way to the indus-trial centres from where they are believed to have beensold nationally. Some have been sold to Taiwan and pos-sibly Hong Kong. Through the Central Asian memberstates of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),the skins can be easily moved to the markets in Moscowand Kaliningrad and from there via eastern Er-trope intothe European Union. This route is known for the increas-ing large-scale smuggling of wildlife (Reuters News Seuice2002) Snow leopard furs were seen on sale in'Warsaw in1994. There was an arrest of smugglers who used theEastern European route into Germany in 2000. Both theseincidents provide further proof of the use of this route forthe smuggling of snow leopard pelts. Pelts from Kyrgyzs-tan go westward to Russia and easfwards to China but ac-cording to several sources they also go to the United ArabEmirates and possibly to Turkey. According to the recentStudy on the wildlife trade by the University of \Tolver-ton, "the routes used by wildlife smugglers are often com-plex, making it difficult for the authorities to track and in-tercept shipments. Routes are also selected to take ad-vantage of particular weaknesses and loopholes in the in-ternational trade control regime, either by using interme-diate countries where controls are weakly enforced or notenacted at all, or by crossing borders where controls havebeen relaxed to encourage freer trade, as in the EIJ (Cooket al. 2002) or in case of Central Asia, the CIS.

Bones of tigers and other big cats are being used bypart of the TCM community and could be part of medica-tion prescribed by TCM practitioners in Asia, Australia,USA and Europe. The main market however is most like-Iy again China. \With tiger bone resources becomingscarcer by the day, snow leopard bones might gain in im-portance.

The trade in live animals is mainly documented fromKyrgyzstan. From there, they are destined for China butpossibly also the United Arab Emirates. Once in Pakistan,an animal was discovered being smuggled to Dubai.

The meat is being used in China and there was onereport of meat also being used in Mongolia. The skulls ofsnow leopards are being used in religious rituals in Indiaand Nepal.

T n f a r n r f i n n r l D ^ . l i ^ r 6 A ^ ^ L f ^ ' C - ^ ' , , l ^ ^ ^ . ' i . / t t - - ; ^ " - - ; ^ \

l / ^ 1 . . - ^ o 1 <

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The illegal hunting of snow leopards is available inMongolia and via a Russian company in Tadjikistan.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Snow leopards are disappearing at an alarming rate dueto the illegal trade in live specimen, parts, and deriva-tives. The trade in bone has broadened from the tiger toinclude other big cat species such as snow leopards. ThehighestJevel action needs to be taken similar to that tak-en by the Parties in the past to save the tiger. As a matterof urgency, a highJevel facrfinding mission should beformed and sent out to investigate the trade in the rangeand consumer countfies.

Enforcement needs to be stepped up especially inCentral Asia and China and cross-border initiatives suchas that in the Altay region should be encouraged andfunded.

Funds and technical support need to be provided bythe international community for enforcement initiativesthroughout the snow leopard range. In Russia, the estab-Iishment of mobile units has become the most effectivemeans of anti-poaching control. These units must havethe authority to act within the region, across severalprovinces, as in the case for the Tiger Inspectorate in theRussian Far East (Russian Academy of Science et al.2002).InKyrgyzstan, the anti-poaching unit Gruppa Barshas also effectively reduced the poaching and trade andMongolia is planning to set up a ranger unit.

Non-CITES Parties should be encouraged to join andall Central Asian countries, CITES Parties or not, needtechnical support in implementing the Convention.

Concerted action by the international communityneeds to be initiated on a global basis to contain the tradeespecially as there is considerable evidence as to the in-volvement of organised crime. The latter with its highlyprofessional trade system in place might pose the greatestthreat yet to the species in its evolutionary history.

REFERENCES

5ncnns (2002): Tiger and Leopard Toll by Poachers Continues. CatNews 26

Aou., A. W. (1995): Status and Conservation of Snow Leopard inAfghanistan; quotes Rodenburg, W,F, (1977). The Trade in \XlildAnimal Furs in Afghanistan. UNDP/FAO Project Field documentAFG/74/016, Kabul. In: R. Jackson and A. Ahmed (eds.). (1995),Proceedings of the Eighth International Snow Leopard Sympo-sium. ISLT and W'WF for Nature-Pakistan

ArrMAD, A. (1994): Protection of Snow Leopard through Grazier Com-munities - Some Examples from W'$7F Pakistan Projects in theNofihern Areas. In: J.L. Fox and Du Jizeng (eds.). Proceedings ofthe Seventh international Snow Leopard Symposium. ISLI Seattle

Ar-eym (1996): Okologische tsewegung Kirgisistans. Der Schneeleopardaus dem Tian Shan Gebirge. 1. Etappe: Der Schneeleopard aufdem Tenir-Too Biosphzirischen Gebiet. Bischkek

Arolt. (1987): Mongolia - New Hunting Concept Pays Offl Internation-al Hunt Report 1986/87. Klineburger

'Worldwide Travel, Seattle,

'Washington

Arott. (1995): Snow Leopard Smuggler Indicted in US. CITES UpdateNo. 37, August 1995; Car News 24

Arcr. (1996a): Snow Leopard Pelts in Kashgar Market. Cat News 25Arcx. (1996b): Trade Continues in Snow Leopard Skins. Snow Line,

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