But that might be changing in Pakistan, where conservationists have been working to educate the villagers who see the cat as a predator. Farmers in one Pakistani village recently did something unusual when they encountered a rare leopard attacking their goats. I had a stick, which I used to separate the leopard from the goats. Instead of killing it, the villagers caged the leopard and fed it, and called the Pakistani World Wildlife Fund for help.
Conservationists say that was a first.
Wildlife experts say the response shows that an intensive educational campaign to save the cat may be working. An estimated 4,000 to 7,000 snow leopards remain in 12 countries across central Asia. But the people who live in the mountains and tend goats and sheep usually see the leopard as endangering their own modest livelihood. But we decided to let it go. There are very few in the area.