Snow Leopard Faces Extinction

Warmer temperatures are threatening to shrink the habitat of the snow leopard and weaken their struggle against extinction, a report says.

Conservation charity WWF says more than a third of the animal's mountain living areas could become uninhabitable because of climate change.

It says plants and trees there are not able to survive in warmer temperatures.
The report describes snow leopards as one of the most beautiful and enigmatic big cats.
"But it is also one of the most elusive and endangered," it says.
WWF says that the animal is threatened not just because of climate change but also because of a combination of other factors including:

• Habitat fragmentation: the snow leopard's habitat especially in the eastern Himalayas - is being increasingly encroached upon by humans
• A decline in natural prey, resulting in snow leopards sometimes attacking livestock, which can result in local people killing them
• Illegal wildlife trade: Snow leopards are being increasingly poached for their body parts