One of the most beautiful and perhaps the most elusive of the big cats, the snow leopard inhabits ranges of up to 160 sq.km throughout Central Asia, and is superbly adapted for life in steep, high and rocky terrain. The snow leopard is mainly crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), and solitary, and relies on a combination of stealth and sheer strength to bring down prey up to three times its own size.
Listed as Endangered by the IUCN, Snow Leopards are on CITES: Appendix I, mainly due to hunting for their fur and body parts for traditional medicines. Despite being protected throughout most of their range they are still hunted illegally and crude estimates suggest that there are only 4,500 to 7,500 animals remaining in the wild.