RAJU ADHIKARY TAPLEJUNG, Sept 12: A ´genetic census´ of snow leopards in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area has revealed that the population of this globally threatened species could be as high as 29. A camera trapping method of census conducted last year in the northern Himalayan area in Taplejung district had put the number of snow leopards within a range of 9 to 12. However, a recently concluded census using the genetic identities of individual snow leopards obtained from fecal samples showed that there are 19 to 29 snow leopards in the area, according to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project Management Council (KCAPMC). “The genetic analysis of fecal samples alone determined that there are 19 snow leopards living in the area. So, with the census conducted through camera trapping and other methods, we can estimate that there are upto 29 snow leopards in the conservation area at present,” informed, Ganga Ram Singh, senior conservation officer at KCAPMC. Kamal Thapa, a snow leopard expert, informed that out of the 19 snow leopards found through genetic analysis of fecal samples, 10 are males and 9 females. He also informed that the recently concluded genetic study of the snow leopard had commenced in 2011. Following the new finding about the snow leopard, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is planning to devise a census with a tracking-collar technique to establish the exact population of the species. Under the new technique, a collar fitted with a small GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitter is attached to the snow leopard to track its movements with the help of computers. Thapa further informed that although the camera tracking technique is easy to use, the collaring technique is more useful in studying the habits of the snow leopard. He also informed that the GPS collaring technique would be implemented soon. Four localities --Ramjer, Khambachhen, Yangma and Gala-- considered to be a pocket area for the snow leopard in the northern part of the district had been chosen as the base area for the study. Taplejung district borders India in the east and the Tibet autonomous region in the north. Given the location of the district, it is possible for snow leopards to cross into Sikkim or Tibet. However, the snow leopards, which are generally found 3,350 to 6,700 metres above sea level, are more likely to travel northward due to the more favorable climate. Experts believe that the collaring technique will be useful in establishing the real population of the snow leopard. “While the genetic technique showed the number to be 19, the collaring method would reveal more about the snow leopard,” said Sujit Kumar Shrestha, manager at KCAPMC (Source : Myrepublica)