In connection with its first grant made in January 2007, Exbiblio™ is partnering with the Snow Leopard Trust to help save snow leopards in Pakistan. The snow leopard is listed as endangered with the global snow-leopard population believed to be between 3,500 and 7,000, on par with endangered pandas and tigers.
Effective conservation programs depend on the support of communities that live in snow leopard habitats. By working with herder communities, the Snow Leopard Trust has developed a vaccination program to increase livestock herds while protecting snow leopards. Common, preventable animal diseases are a much greater threat to herds than are predators like the snow leopard.
The communities knew disease was affecting their herds, but few if any records were kept. They felt they could do little to protect their animals. Herders perceived predators as a bigger problem. After a three-year study that tracked livestock deaths showed that about ten animals were dying of disease for every one that was killed by a predator, the herders agreed to tolerate losses to snow leopards if they could reduce losses to disease.
The vaccination program addresses the economic issues facing rural communities while creating an effective conservation program. Through its grant, Exbiblio and the Snow Leopard Trust brought this well-developed vaccination program to five more communities, helping herders in northern Pakistan obtain basic livestock vaccines previously unavailable and unaffordable.
As part of the project, the participating communities agree not to kill snow leopards or their prey species but instead to participate in their protection. The program helps villagers maintain their livestock numbers at a sustainable level and learn fodder preservation techniques, both of which will prevent livestock overgrazing on mountain grasslands.