Twenty-one sheep have died and seven sheep have been injured in a snow leopard attack in Lomanthang-4 Chumjung, Upper Mustang.
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A snow leopard has killed 21 sheep and injured seven in an attack in Lomanthang-4 Chumjung of Upper Mustang.
According to the National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Lomanthang a snow leopard attacked livestock at a sheep pen in Lomanthang-4 Chumjung owned by local livestock farmer Ghyacho Gurung of Nyamdo, Lomanthang-4 last Saturday night.
According to ACAP chief Umesh Poudel, 10 sheep and 11 sheep died in the leopard attack. There were 315 sheep and goats in the pen.
Following the information that the sheep were killed by the snow leopard attack, a team including representatives of ECAP Lomanthang, the District Police Office and animal technicians from Lomanthang Rural Municipality reached the spot on Sunday morning. According to ECAP Lomanthang Chief Poudel, the snow leopard attacked the sheep while the sheep cage of the victim livestock farmer was inside the gabion wire fence and damaged it. The initial value assessment of the snow leopard attack is Rs 455,000.
Earlier, on February 21, nine sheep were killed and nine injured when a snow leopard attacked the cage of local livestock farmer Mingmar Gurung in Kimling, Lomanthang-4, Upper Mustang.
Similarly, in Marfa, Gharpajhong Rural Municipality-2 in the lower part of the district, more than three dozen sheep were killed when a snow leopard attacked the cage of local Santosh Pariyar twice. ECAP Lomanthang has stated that three CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the snow leopards at the place where the snow leopard has damaged the sheep pasture. In the current fiscal year, ECAP Lomanthang and Jomsom have installed CCTV cameras at the possible places where the snow leopards live in all five municipalities in the district for snow leopard census.
ECAP says that in the district, ECAP is providing wildlife damage relief available from the National Parks and Wildlife Department to farmers affected by snow leopards and other wildlife. According to the Wildlife Damage Relief Guidelines, the damage to the damaged livestock is assessed and relief is provided to the affected livestock farmers. As there has been a delay in providing wildlife damage relief from the department in the recent past, ECAP has been arranging for relief from its internal funds to the affected livestock farmers, according to ECAP Chief Poudel.
Recently, the conflict between humans and snow leopards has been increasing in the mountainous district of Mustang. Incidents of snow leopards entering and attacking the sheds and cages of local livestock keepers and causing damage to livestock in the grazing areas of high altitudes have started to increase. The livestock keeping business has started to face a crisis due to the risk of snow leopards, said the victim, Mingmar Gurung, a cheetah breeder.
Similarly, due to the lack of grass in high altitudes due to the effects of climate change, the snow leopard's food species have been moving down the valley, and snow leopards have been following them and coming closer to settlements. In the last few years, snow leopards have started appearing near main highways and settlements.
