The report of sighting of snow leopards in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh has brought cheers to the conservationists and the people of the state at large. As per the survey report of the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI), which was conducted from 2019 to 2023 across India, 36 snow leopards are estimated to be living in Arunachal Pradesh. In Arunachal, surveys were conducted in districts like Tawang, Shi-Yomi, West Kameng, Anjaw, Dibang Valley and Changlang (Namdapha National Park). This report is hugely encouraging for the state.
Now that the presence of snow leopards has been confirmed, the effort should be made to conserve their habitats. For conservation efforts, the government should engage the local population and make them partners. Also, such surveys should be conducted in other districts of Arunachal too. There are possibilities of finding snow leopards in districts like Kurung Kumey, Upper Siang, Papum Pare, Upper Subansiri, Kra Daadi, etc. The SPAI report has given a ray of hope to the conservation lovers of the state. Hopefully momentum will be built based on this report and more efforts will be made in the coming days to preserve the rich flora and fauna of the state.