The collaring of snow leopard s using satellite-based technology has helped conservationists track real-time information about the position and movement of one of the world’s most ‘elusive’ creatures. The very first Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) collar was fitted on an adult male snow leopard in Kanchanjunga Conservation Area (KCA) on November 25. The GPS tracking technology had only been used on tiger and rhino before then. The GPS collar helps conservationists know the position of the iconic big cat species in every four hours interval. The information is automatically forwarded to the technical team led by Maheshwor Dhakal, ecologists with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), via e-mail and SMS. “Integration of modern tracking technologies will give accurate science-based knowledge and help us in research and conservation of the species,” said Dhakal. The collaring expedition also marks the first time that local communities through citizen scientists and Snow Leopard Conservation Committees have come toegether to identify snow leopard hotspots for tracking purposes. World Wild Foundation (WWF) has provided financial and technical support to the collaring project. (Source : Ekantipur) “By the end of 2014, we plan to collar at least four snow leopard s. Introduction of modern technologies will help fill the existing resources gap in the species conservation sector of Nepal,” said Ghana Shyam Gurung of WWF Nepal. The prior collaring work on the species used Very High Frequency (VHF) technology in the early 80s and the 90s. The existing snow leopard conservation projects in KCA includesnow leopard monitoring using camera traps and prey-based monitoring with partnership of local citizen scientists and Snow Leopard Conservation Committees; a population genetic study using fecal DNA; and a livestock insurance scheme aimed at reducing human- snow leopard conflict. Through data received from the satellite collar, it will be possible to determine the movement patterns of snow leopard s and their habitats. According to 2009 estimate, there are between 300 to 500 snow leopards in eight protected areas in the Himalayan region.