Snow Leopards

As a species, the leopard is not considered endangered, but some subspecies, like the Amur leopard, are endangered, even critically so. The Amur leopard is endangered, mainly because of hunting and habitat loss, but leopards as a species are not endangered.

The 2017 IUCN Red List classifies leopards as "Vulnerable" (one step down from "Endangered") with the caveat that the situation with subspecies is under review.

Many folks, nevertheless, feel leopards are "endangered":

• Leopards are endangered because humans are killing them for their fur.
• Leopards are endangered because their habitat (trees) is being chopped down. Also, they are being poached for their fur to use in designer clothing. They are also at risk of being shot if they venture too close to a human village.
• Leopards are endangered because people hunt them for their beautiful coats. They may also get shot if they wander to close into a human village. Another reason is because the forests in which they live are being torn down. You can help save them by donating to a foundation that helps animals like leopards and other cats.
• Leopards are endangered because of a few minor things that we as humans can't change and a few more major things that we can. Some of the minor things are: floods, forest fires, starvation, Habitat loss, draught and other predators.
• The most major thing of all is poachers that want the leopards hide to sell. Also if a leopard is hunting a farmers cattle the farmer normally fights back by killing the leopard.
• Leopards are becoming extinct because of people and a few other animals. Some animals prey on leopards but very few. They main reason they are becoming extinct is because people are hunting them. Their rosettes, (the leopards pattern) are beautiful on a coat, so people hunt them. Some people hunt them for sport, like people used to do to tigers. Others do it because leopards are not scared of people. Sometimes leopards get to close to humans, and people get scared and shoot. Sometimes leopards try to eat livestock (animals raised by people, like cows, and donkeys) so people shoot at them.
• Leopards are endangered because people,hunters, kill them illegally for their fur. What they do is shoot them and then skin the animals and sell the fur to a coat maker or clothing making. You can help stop this if you buy faux fur.

There are approximately 3,500 to 6,500 in the wild. In addition, there are 600-700 snow leopards in zoos around the world.
From 4500 to 6000. Snow Leopard Trust. (N.A). SNOW LEOPARD FACT SHEET. Retrieved 04 22, 2012.

11% (about 600) out of all snow leopards live in zoos.

• The African grasslands and savannas provide the cheetah coverage when stalking its prey. The cheetah then sprints toward the prey and knocks it to the ground, using its teeth to bite the animal's neck.

• Cheetahs subside on animals such as gazelle, zebras, warthogs, impalas and other smaller prairie dwellers. They also eat birds and rodents on occasion.

• Animals that cheetahs consume have vegetarian diets. Therefore, the grass and grains these smaller animals feed on get passed on to the cheetah.

• Cheetahs are most vulnerable as cubs and have to avoid predators like lions, eagles and hyenas. Cheetah mothers hide their cubs during the first few weeks of their lives.

• Ancient royalty used to train cheetahs for hunting purposes, and the cheetah appears in many of their drawings.

Snow leopards are an elusive animal, not much is known about them. However a combination of poaching and mating habits are probably why they're endangered species.

The biggest threat to snow leopards like most other endangered animals are humans. Humans hunt them for their fur and their bones. Humans also destroy their habitat and food sources.

Snow leopards are also endangered because when their habitat is destroyed, the countries where they live are not rebuilding their habitat, and if they are, it is not successful. in 1994,

A raid on a group of traders in Srinagar that hauled more than $1 million worth of furs and garments made from 1,366 of the world's most endangered wild cats, tigers, snow and clouded leopards and Bengal tigers indicated that the lack of effective measures to preserve endangered species has deteriorated further as a result of the 8 year old conflict.