{"id":82070,"date":"2025-05-20T22:25:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T17:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pamirtimes.net\/?p=82070"},"modified":"2025-05-20T22:26:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T17:26:01","slug":"82070","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pamirtimes.net\/en\/2025\/05\/20\/82070\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow Leopard Foundation Endorses “Welfare-Driven” International Transfer of Captive Snow Leopards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ISLAMABAD<\/strong>: The Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) has officially endorsed the proposed international transfer of two captive snow leopards currently housed at the Snow Leopard Rehabilitation Centre in Naltar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan. The decision, under consideration by the Government of Pakistan through the Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife Department, has drawn public interest in recent days.

In its formal statement, the Snow Leopard Foundation clarified that both animals were removed from the wild under illegal circumstances, one in 2012 and the other in 2024, and are not conservation rescues, but rather victims of wildlife trafficking. Raised in captivity, the snow leopards have undergone irreversible behavioural changes, rendering them unfit for reintroduction into the wild.

\u201cLet us be clear. This is not a commercial export,\u201d a senior representative of the Snow Leopard Foundation stated. \u201cIt is a welfare-driven decision rooted in science, legality, and ethics.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Citing international best practices in ex-situ wildlife management, the Foundation emphasised that animals raised in captivity under such conditions cannot survive in their natural habitat and require specialised care. International zoological institutions with proven expertise offer the best chance for a life of dignity and proper welfare.

The proposed transfer complies with Pakistan\u2019s national wildlife laws and international commitments under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). As per Appendix I of CITES, non-commercial transfers that promote animal welfare and scientific collaboration are permitted under strict regulatory protocols.

The Naltar rehabilitation centre, established in 2013 with support from the U.S. Embassy and technical guidance from Sweden\u2019s Nordens Ark, has contributed to wildlife care and awareness for over a decade. However, the Foundation acknowledges that financial and logistical constraints now limit its ability to provide long-term care for apex predators.

\u201cThese two individuals are no longer part of the wild gene pool,\u201d the Snow Leopard Foundation said in its statement. \u201cTheir continued captivity in substandard conditions is neither humane nor necessary. What we owe them now is a future with care, dignity, and compassion.\u201d
The Foundation stressed that this transfer should not be perceived as a failure of Pakistan\u2019s conservation efforts, but rather as a progressive step toward ethical wildlife stewardship. The focus, it added, must remain on addressing the real threats to Pakistan\u2019s wild snow leopard populations, including: illegal poaching and wildlife trade, human-wildlife conflict, habitat degradation and Climate change.

To build long-term capacity in managing similar cases, the Snow Leopard Foundation recommended establishing trained wildlife response units, adopting international policy guidelines like those of the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), and creating low-cost, high-impact care centres in biodiversity hotspots.

\u201cThis is a moment to reaffirm our commitment to protecting wild snow leopards and their fragile mountain ecosystems,\u201d the statement concluded. \u201cAnimal welfare, legality, and ethical conservation must guide our decisions.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: The Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) has officially endorsed the proposed international transfer of two captive snow leopards currently housed at the Snow Leopard Rehabilitation Centre in Naltar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan. The decision, under consideration by the Government of Pakistan through the Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife Department, has drawn public interest in recent days.In its formal statement, the 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