Adopt a snow leopard
Powerful, captivating and incredibly vulnerable to poaching and reduction in prey. The elegant snow leopard is one of the world’s most elusive cats.
Your adoptions will help protect snow leopards and help fund our other vital work around the world. When you choose an animal adoption, you are supporting both your chosen animals as well as wider work to help bring our world back to life.
Adopt a snow leopard and receive
Snow leopards prefer steep terrain, broken by cliffs, rocky outcrops and ravines. They live at high altitudes, usually at elevations of 3,000–4,500m, although they occasionally go above 5,500m in the Himalayas.
Threats that snow leopards face
Human snow leopard conflict
There’s around 10 times more livestock than wild prey in some snow leopard range areas. Some livestock owners kill snow leopards to protect their livestock.
Loss of prey and habitat
Over-grazing by domestic livestock is damaging to mountain grasslands and leading to a decline in the snow leopard's natural prey.
Poaching
It's estimated that up to 450 snow leopards are killed each year - mainly in retaliation from preying on livestock, but also for the illegal trade or accidentally by snares.
Climate Change
The high Himalayas are warming at three times the global average, affecting snow leopard habitat.
How we can help
We’re working with governments, local communities and TRAFFIC (the wildlife trade monitoring network) to prevent the killing and illegal trade in snow leopards and their body parts, and reducing conflict between snow leopards and local people who depend on livestock for their livelihoods.
The snow leopard’s habitat also provides important resources for the many people who live there – from food and medicine to wood for shelter, heat and fuel. By helping to protect the snow leopard, we’re helping to conserve its environment for the benefit of people and nature.
Your adoption and support will help us:
- train and equip community anti-poaching patrols
- promote sustainable use of natural resources in the region, including improved management of pastureland
- work with local communities to monitor snow leopards and their prey
- support community-run livestock insurance schemes to help local herders to protect their livelihoods, and other measures to reduce human - snow leopard conflict
- fund our other essential work around the world
Unlike other big cats, snow leopards cannot roar.
Last minute gift?
Free delivery
We offer free delivery but ask you to consider helping to cover postage with an optional £3 donation taken at checkout. This means more of your gift can go towards supporting your adoption animal and our wider work.
Your pack will be sent within 2-3 working days - but allow up to 5 working days for it to arrive.
Want to protect other big cats too? Check out our adopt a big cat page to find out more.
Snow Leopard adoption FAQs
Yes, you can adopt a snow leopard with WWF. Donations from snow leopard adoptions go both directly to support snow leopard, as well as to fund our wider work to protect nature and our planet. Adoptions are symbolic for donating and supporting our conservation work with different species. By adopting a snow leopard, you will be supporting a whole group of snow leopards, rather than one individual.
You can adopt a snow leopard with WWF from just £5 a month via Direct Debit, or you can pay with a one-off payment. To adopt a snow leopard with WWF, select your donation amount on the widget, click 'Adopt Now' and then complete your donation via our secure online checkout.
You can adopt a snow leopard with WWF from just £5 a month via Direct Debit, or you can pay with a one-off payment. Your money goes further by Direct Debit as this supports our long-term planning and helps keep our administration costs down.
When you adopt a snow leopard with WWF, your donation will not only fund programs of work that directly support snow leopards, but also other vital projects to help bring our world back to life. After adopting a snow leopard you'll receive a welcome pack including an optional toy and note from the WWF team welcoming you on board. We'll keep you updated on how you're supporting our vital work by sending you three adoption updates a year.
Snow leopard adoptions help us; train and equip community anti-poaching patrols; work with local communities to monitor snow leopards and their prey; support community-run livestock insurance schemes to help local herders protect their livelihoods.
Snow leopards are classified as 'vulnerable'. A combination of habitat deterioration, loss of prey species, human-wildlife conflict, poaching and climate change mean only around 4,000 remain in the wild.
Snow leopards are at risk because of habitat deterioration caused by climate change. Their populations are also declining due to human-wildlife conflict and illegal trade resulting in many deaths each year.
There are 4,000 snow leopards left in the wild, and it's estimated that up to 450 snow leopards are killed each year.
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