October 23 – International Snow Leopard Day.
At the first Global Forum on Snow Leopards and Ecosystem Conservation, held in October 2013, all 12 host countries endorsed the Bishkek Declaration, recognizing that snow leopard conservation will require more than individual efforts. A year later and every year thereafter, International Snow Leopard Day is celebrated on October 23 to commemorate the anniversary of the Bishkek Declaration and raise awareness of the snow leopard.
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a species of cat that originates from the mountainous regions of Central Asia. It resembles a leopard, but a little smaller and stockier. The habitat of the snow leopard mainly consists of mountain meadows and pastures above the forest line. It mainly preys on mountain ungulates, but also preys on smaller animals such as rodents and birds. The population of wild snow leopards is difficult to monitor due to the inaccessibility of their habitat, but estimates for 2003-2014 range from 3,920 to 7,500 individuals. The species is classified as vulnerable and protected by law. The main threat to snow leopards is still illegal hunting and poaching for the lucrative trophy trade. Snow leopard conservation projects have been established in recent decades, including the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Conservation Program, which aims to identify and protect at least 20 healthy populations throughout the species' range. In captivity, snow leopards have been successfully bred, more than 500 individuals have been obtained in zoos around the world.
In the zoos of Ukraine, the snow leopard is represented only in Mykolaiv Zoo. We keep a female Tashi, who was born in Zoo Salzburg (Austria) in 2013. The cat moved to Mykolaiv in 2015. Snow leopards have been kept in Mykolaiv Zoo since the end of the 60s and up to the present time. Fifteen leopards were kept during this entire period. Even a case of reproduction was recorded (in 2016).
