It pains us when we read about animals being added to the endangered species list, but sometimes human involvement and efforts help as is seen in the case of snow leopards where their numbers have increased so that they have been removed from the endangered species list and are now considered a ‘vulnerable’ species.

The change of the majestic snow leopard from ‘endangered’ to ’ vulnerable’ species was done by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which assesses the conservation status of wildlife.

A species is considered to be endangered if its count is below 2,500. In 2008, there were less than 2,500 snow leopards left and their population was declining at an alarming rate.

Now, due to sustained conservation efforts, their population is on the rise and at least 4000 snow leopards were spotted in the Himalayans. However, it has been placed in the list of vulnerable species as it still faces the risk of extinction through habitat loss and degradation, declines in prey, competition with livestock, persecution, and poaching for illegal wildlife trade.

The IUCN states that there is still work to be done to continue and expand conservation efforts to reverse the big cat’s declining trend.