Annapurna, Nepal

The Problem

Livestock depredation is an increasingly controversial issue across the range of the endangered snow leopard.  "Surplus killing," in which as many as 40-100 livestock have been killed in a single night, inevitably results in concerted attempts at retaliatory killings of predators by herders suffering from significant economic loss. 

Predation by snow leopards can be avoided by adequately predator-proofing night-time enclosures. Predation on the open range is more difficult to address, but may be reduced to acceptable levels through improved day-time guarding of livestock herds, better rangeland grazing practices, educating herders on the importance of protecting the predator’s natural prey base, and by providing veterinary treatment to prevent injured livestock from dying due to treatable infection.

Common disease is another important mortality source that can be addressed by basic veterinary care which is unfortunately unavailable for most domesticated animals that live high in the Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal.

Solution

In collaboration with Snow Leopard Conservancy and San Francisco Zoo, IVO will send a veterinary team to Nepal to work with local herders.  The ultimate goal is to improve livestock health thereby reducing herder retaliation on snow leopards for depredation loses.

The initial project will be launched in March, 2020 and will consist of providing local herders with functional knowledge, skills, and materials to address common livestock emergencies. A survey will be conducted to identify most common animal health and public health concerns, which will then be addressed in future trips in collaboration with veterinary schools from Kathmandu and local animal health officers.

Our calculated and collaborative approach that identifies available resources and brings all stakeholders together will enable capacity building of Nepali animal care givers, and the creation of a sustainable veterinary service and training program.