“Three snow leopards snapped in a single capture in Khunjerab National Park”

GILGIT: Snow leopards are cryptic in nature and tend to reside in one of the harshest and inaccessible milieus of our planet that encountering with snow leopard in the wild is like a dream. This elusive nature of snow leopardled one of the eminent wildlife biologists of the world to attribute this as “ Imperilled Phantom”.

A total of 643 images including a group of 3 snow leopards (probably 2 sub adults with a mother) were photographed during an intensive camera trapping session of 560 nights in Khunjerab National Park (KNP) during Nov-Dec. 2010,conducted by the Snow Leopard Foundation, Pakistan in collaboration with the Directorate of KNP andGilgit-Baltistan Forest and Wildlife Department. The cameras captured many other wild species as well.

The Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserve viable populationsof snow leopards and other wild carnivores as an integral part of landscapes across Pakistan, whileimproving the socio-economic condition of the people who share the fragile mountain ecosystem with thewildlife.

The SLF works in partnership with the Snow Leopard Trust and Panthera, the two leadinginternational wild cat conservation organizations, and operates in three core sectors: research andmonitoring, community based conservation programs, and conservation education and awareness.

Its haspioneered state-of-the-art research tools in Pakistan and operating in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khybger-Pakhtunkhaw, and Azad Jamu and Kashmir. The current study was undertaken in KNP from November, 23 to December 31, 2010 and was aimed atassessing the status of snow leopard as well as other carnivores, their key prey species, and human-carnivore conflict.

The study also tested affect of different kinds of baits on camera trapping success.In addition to camera trapping, more than 1400 km² area was scanned during occupancy surveys and 150fecal samples were collected for genetic analysis.

The study provided a rare learning opportunity to the staffof the Wildlife Department, and students from national and international universities, who were engaged.Once data analysis is completed, the study will provide more reliable estimates of snow leopard in the parkbesides highlighting existing management/monitoring limitations and ultimately help better manage the park resources in the longer run.Panthera provided financial support for this study.

Compensation for the affectees of KKH expansion project

Expansion project of the Karakoram Highway has affected thousands of families in different parts of Gilgit – Baltistan. The project is being implemented jointly by the government of Pakistan and China through the Chinese Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC). This project, on completion, is expected to facilitate the two nuclear power neighbour countries expand the volume of trade and create new jobs.

Notwithstanding the expectations and end results of the project, one can certainly see that the process of expanding the KKH has become a pain in the neck for people of the region, for several reasons.

First, the expansion process has left the entire KKH between Khunzhrav and Chilas in a dilapidated condition, increasing the number of hours spent on road.

Second, the project is likely to be delayed further, due to the destructions induced by damming of the Hunza River.
Third, and the most important, because the government has failed to compensate those who lost means of livelihood due to the expansion project.

Every now and then protesters stage demonstrations against the government for failing to pay compensation to the people whose cropped fields, trees and orchards have been destroyed to expand the road.

An action committee of the affected people had recently organized a protest demonstration in Hunza – Nagar to demand solution for the compensation issue. One of the leaders of the committee was hurt in a scuffle that erupted between the protesters and the police after the later tried to stop the protesters who had blocked the main Karakoram Highway.

A dialogue was later held between the committee and government officials without any results. The committee has, now, announced to hold a series of protests to pressurize the government into action. They have also threatened to disrupt the expansion work throughout the Hunza Valley from January 10, if their demands are not met.

We think that anxiety of the protesters is justified because the bureaucracy and political leaders, both, have failed to protect rights of the affected people. We, however, urge peaceful protests for making the government realize that the delay is causing threats for a strategic project of international stature.

The local people’s demands should be met at all costs and they should be compensated according to international standards because the KKH is an international route between two countries, being constructed through the land of Gilgit – Baltistan.

Leaders of the action committee should urge their supporters to not take law into their hands because it would harm the noble cause.