MUSTANG: A snow leopard counting process has begun in Mustang for the first time, aiming to ascertain the actual population of the endangered species in the district.
The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), Mustang, has launched a comprehensive survey using camera trapping across four local levels since Saturday.
Although ACAP and other concerned organizations had earlier carried out camera trapping based on identified snow leopard habitats, officials said those efforts were insufficient to determine the exact population size.
According to Umesh Poudel, Chief of ACAP Lomanthang, a total of 161 camera trapping grids have been determined at intervals of every five kilometers in both Lower and Upper Mustang.
He said snow leopards have recently been descending to lower altitudes in search of food during the winter season. In this context, Biocos Nepal, in coordination with ACAP, installed 111 cameras at six additional locations in the Baragaon Mukti area and Gharapjhong Rural Municipality a few days ago to support the counting process.
ACAP Lomanthang has divided human resources into three blocks for the camera trapping operation. More than a dozen personnel have been deployed in the field, with technical support from ACAP staff and assistance from local human resources.
The cameras will remain installed in the field for up to six months to collect sufficient data for an accurate assessment of the snow leopard population in Mustang.
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