Snow Leopards

There are between 3500 and 7000 snow leopards left in the wild and around 600 in the zoos.

Some say there are 4500 to 7500 though
7500
There are 7,500 left in the wild and not that many left in zoos
It isn't known for sure how many, due in part to the harsh region in which they live, and the Snow Leopards natural withdrawn behavior. It is estimated that there are 3,500 to 7,000 Snow Leopards left in the wild. While there are 600 to 700 in captivity. According to the International Union of Conservation for Nature, also known as IUCN Red List, the Snow Leopard is listed as "endangered" with a population trend of "decreasing". For more details, please see the sites listed below.
There are approximately 6000 snow leopards left in the wild. This population is spread out in small groups over twelve countries.

Leopards (Panthera pardus) were originally found from southeastern Russia, throughout eastern and southern Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and throughout subsaharan Africa, in many different habitats, primarily savannahs and forests, but including taiga in parts of Russia and China. In these latter areas, winter temperatures can get down to -12o F (-25o C). Like lions and tigers, leopards can roar.

Snow leopards (Uncia uncia) have always been restricted to mountains in southern and central Asia, including the Altai, Tien Shan, Karakoram and Himalayan ranges among others. They are highly adapted for living in the cold, rocky, mountains, having very thick fur, small ears, short faces, and fur on the bottom of their feet (to act like snowshoes). They also have very long tails, which they use to help keep their balance while chasing prey over rocky, unstable slopes. Although closely related to tigers and leopards, snow leopards cannot roar, due to differences in the anatomy of the larynx (voice box).

Snow leopards have the longest tail of ALL cats!

A Brief Background on the Eurasian Snow LeopardCompiled with information provided by Elena Mukhina-Kreuzberg and Elena Bykova ---- History of the Snow Leopard's Plight A large and limber cat, the snow leopard (Unica unica) is one of the few representatives of the order Felidae that has adapted to life among the deep crevices, sheer precipices, and jagged ridges of Central Asia's mountain ranges, such as the Tien Shan and the Altai. Life in such harsh conditions is always taxing and naturally, the population of this predator has never been especially high. However, human factors have also contributed to keeping the species' numbers low. Earlier in this century, as Soviet agricultural policy encouraged goat and sheep farmers to maintain unsustainably large herd sizes, herders pushed into the mountains in search of new pastures. Increased human pressure and competition for grazing areas resulted in decreased populations of the argali (Ovis ammon) and to a lesser degree, the ibex (Capra ibex), primary prey species of the snow leopard. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, however, the crumbling of agricultural collectives partially reduced the amount of human pressure on the land. As a result, throughout Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan the number of cattle grazing in high country pastures sharply declined, spurring a comeback in the productivity of former pasture lands and subsequently, in ungulate and also marmot (Marmota sp.) populations. Although the snow leopard's habitat and food base were partially restored, the plummeting socio-economic situation in the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union (NIS) has precipitated other, more intense human pressures on the environment. To compensate for the loss in cash due to fewer cattle, local people are now seeking wild ungulates for meat and income. Marmots are now subject to hunting, as they are valued for their skins. Once again the snow leopard's prey and habitat is under seige. The direct poaching of snow leopards undoubtedly stands as the gravest threat to this population. Today the hunting of snow leopards has been transformed from a random activity involving a few isolated cases into a widespread and premeditated business, most often aimed at fulfilling a special order from abroad. The soft, exquisite fur of the snow leopard, fluctuating in price from several hundreds to thousands of dollars, is still in demand by the fur industry in Japan, Russia, and Europe. Other parts of this animal, such as its bones, are increasingly sought as substitutes for tiger bones in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In order to halt transactions involving this species, it has been added to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITIES), which prohibits all international, commercial trade in live animals, pelts, bones, and other derivatives. Snow Leopard Population Status The most complete assessment of the snow leopard population numbers and status in the former Soviet Union was conducted more than ten years ago. According to the specialists of that time, there were about 1000 individuals in Kyrgyzstan. The population number throughout Central Asia was projected to be approximately two times higher. Without fresh information today, it is premature to make any definitive conclusions. But, using available data the snow leopard's population today is estimated to be half of the last official count and is nearing a critical level. In Kyrgyzstan alone the poaching rate has increased threefold, resulting in an estimated 90 to 120 snow leopard deaths a year. The snow leopard is now listed in the IUCN Red Data Book as a species in danger of extinction.