Live from the Himalayas (4): On the Trail of the Snow Leopard

Suddenly Tashi froze into a pillar of salt, staring through his binoculars and not responding to a question. It will certainly take three minutes for this condition to resolve again. “A flock of blue sheep that has tumbled down the steep mountainside in a wild escape,” explains Tashi. And it could have been that a snow leopard was the reason for the escape, since blue sheep are the favorite dish of this mystical big cat. I look through the binoculars and count 10 of these magnificent animals that are now grazing peacefully again. So false alarm.

Easily recognizable even with a mobile phone camera: blue sheep in an impressive pose. Blue sheep are the snow leopard’s main prey

You’d Taste Me Good: The goat pens in Julu Village have been invaded by snow leopards on a number of occasions lately.

Today is our first game walk together and Tashi promised me an “Easy Walk” since I only came to Manang by jeep yesterday and was anything but acclimatized. It then became nine walking hours, but that shouldn’t surprise me, because when it comes to the snow leopard, Tashi forgets the time. Born in Manang, Tashi went to school in Darjeeling, India and later studied photography in Kathmandu. Thanks to the Annapurna Circuit, he runs a thriving lodge in Manang and has also made a name for himself as one of Nepal’s leading nature photographers. Until that day in March 2006 that changed his life. It had snowed and the tireless Tashi was once again on a photo tour. In a gorge, Tashi suddenly spotted two snow leopards on the opposite snow-covered slope, and were therefore easy to spot. He quickly pulled out his telephoto lens and shots were taken that went around the world. For Tashi, this encounter had a magical effect, because the nature photographer became a wildlife biologist and, above all, a committed conservationist. Since then he has been committed to protecting the snow leopard with great commitment. So he set up a monitoring system with several camera traps, which have already delivered many impressive pictures of the big cat. He trains farmers and shepherds in dealing with the big cat. And he has started a conservation education program with the School of Manang. A life for the snow leopard, for which it has already won many international awards.

But how often has he seen the snow leopard in the thirteen years of his work? “Nine times,” he replies like a shot, “because no big cat is more difficult to observe than the snow leopard.” Back to our excursion. Tashi points up to a steep slope, where the dark entrance peeks down a cave under a rock face. “That’s the snow leopard cave, we have to go up there”. I had feared something similar, but there was no stopping Tashi for a long time and we scrambled up the rocky flank. When I arrived at the top, panting, Tashi immediately showed me the importance of the cave: the snow leopards mark the rocks with urine (you can smell it 😉 ) and thus their territory. They also rub their necks against the rocks, which is why some hairs are still stuck here. Feeling so close to this mysterious being is an indescribable feeling. I could have sat in this special place for a long time, which also offers a magnificent panorama of the ice-armoured great wall of the Annapurna Himalayas. But Tashi urges us to leave, because we still have a long way to go.

Should I be scared of you? The residents of Julu want to scare away the snow leopard with this scarecrow…

The world-forgotten little village of Julu is our next destination. Only about 10 people live up here in the closely crouched stone houses and call about 300 goats their property. And here’s the problem, because the snow leopards have been targeting these goats lately. “They’ve already torn seven of them this year, and once two of them even got into a stall over the roof,” explains Tashi. Tashi is now trying to better protect the village with various measures, including wire mesh on the roof of the stables and a funny scarecrow on one of the house roofs to scare off the snow leopards. The next day, yesterday, it rained and snowed heavily, which worried me about the upcoming crossing of the 5,420m high Thorong La Pass, but gave me a well-deserved rest day. But this morning welcomed us with sun and the radiant white of freshly fallen snow. Our entire team, guide Pemba, porter Dhami and I start with Tashi on the main route of the Annapurna Circuit towards Thorong La. After 2 hours, Tashi and I branch off into the beautiful Ghyanchang Valley for further exploration. Soon, Tashi discovers signs of the snow leopard’s presence: the typical marking mounds, droppings, and even an older rip (a young yak). A few marker mounds make Tashi suspicious, because they are fresh! He immediately begins to search the snow-covered flanks of the valley with his binoculars and suddenly freezes again like a pillar of salt. “Look, up there, a fresh snow leopard track! The animal must have come down the slope and is now further back at the end of the valley,” Tashi explains in a calm voice, while I watch the track in the binoculars with a beating heart. “I have to see that, so we’re going our separate ways now,” Tashi explains to me. After a brief, heartfelt goodbye, Tashi trudges in deep snow towards the tracks as I head back to the well-trodden path of the Annapurna Circuit, where Yak Kharka and Dhami were anxiously awaiting me at Pemba and Dhami. This is the beginning of the next chapter on my journey, the crossing of the Thorong La, and I am thinking of Tashi: Will he even see a snow leopard for the 10th time today?

Tashi Ghale or his congenial partner, the zoologist Rhinzin, will accompany all tours on our Snow Lepard Trail in the future. Through the stunning Naar Phu area, over the Kang La Pass to Manang and selected observation sites. A trekking program that is unique in the world and of which we are particularly proud! Interested parties can contact us now without obligation, because the places are limited.

The Snow Leopard Trail is a project of Fair Trails Himalayas, a cooperation between the Trail Angels and ENNOVENT and financial support from the ADA (Austrian Development Agency).

Budding conservationists? Tashi Ghale has started a dedicated educational program with the Manang School: Development through Conservation.

He was here: Big fresh marker mound. The snow leopard uses these signs to mark its territory

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