Save the snow leopard

It will not be long before we see stuffed, lifeless bodies of snow leopards exhibited in museums around the world, suffering the same fate as their pre-historic sabre-toothed ancestors. The BBC has highlighted the alarming threat of extinction to snow leopards inhabiting northern Pakistan and numbering a meagre 200-400.
The government has done well by entering into agreements with local farmers to protect the endangered species in return for lucrative returns. Similarly, hunting permits for wild goats also get good money for the locals because regulating grazing patterns attract wild goats that feed the leopards as well as offer more hunting licenses. Even with such measures the population of leopards is still fast depleting, owing to poaching, illegal hunting and retaliatory killings by farmers. The government is requested to ensure the survival of the majestic big cat by empowering local authorities to stage intervention against poachers and penalise them accordingly. Though wild and ferocious, snow leopards are still at our mercy and under our protection.
Barrister Mobeen Shah
Nottingham, United Kingdom