Page 11 - Gateways_2018_WINTER

CONSERVATION On the Right Tracks

Malaya and Buck Snow Leopards
are helping protect their wild counterparts
just by leaving behind some footprints.

It may sound a bit far-fetched, but this is the basis of a Top: The sand pathway in the snow leopards’ exhibit.
new collaboration between the Chicago Zoological Society, Middle: One of the footprints collected for the ConservationFIT project.
scientists at ConservationFIT (a group that collects images of Bottom: The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists snow
animal footprints and categorizes them based on the species, leopards as vulnerable, primarily due to habitat loss, big cat-human
sex, weight, and age-class of the animal that made them), conflict, and illegal trade.
and several other zoos and citizen scientists.

The Society’s animal care specialists recently placed a sand
pathway leading from our snow leopards’ behind-the-scenes
home to their main habitat. As the two big cats casually stroll
on and off exhibit, they leave footprints in the sand. These
footprints are then carefully photographed, and the images
are sent to ConservationFIT.

This information can then be compared with prints
found in the wild, helping to determine wild snow leopards’
range. Comparing wild footprints with ours can also provide
information about the snow leopards’ population density and
population dynamics such as sex, age, and weight.

Conservationists can use this information to help educate
people within the cats’ native range about their habitats and
ways to avoid big cat-human conflicts—which contribute to
the snow leopards’ decreasing population.

Knowledge is power, and these footprints can be a
powerful tool when it comes to protecting big cats around
the world.

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