Cat Toys Help Save Snow Leopards
Cat toys help save Snow Leopards by helping families boost their regular income. Snow Leopard Enterprises has changed the future of both the cats and the people who live with them. Today, their community conservation programs help protect more than 17% of Mongolia’s snow leopard habitat. Bayara Agvantsereen, the program’s co-founder, who heads the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation. ” Snow Leopard Enterprises is the centerpiece of our work in the area, our flagship program and our main point of contact for many families in the region.”
Families who participate in Snow Leopard Enterprises boosted their regular income by an average of more than $150 last year by making and selling handicrafts. This extra income is an incentive for these communities to protect snow leopards.
The Snow Leopard Today
There are as few as 3920 to 6390 snow leopards remaining in the wild. Due to the elusive nature of the snow leopard, encounters are so rare the cats are often referred to as “ghosts of the mountain.” The snow leopard has been listed as endangered by the IUCN since 1971 and is protected worldwide, but remains threatened by poaching and retaliation killings as well as a loss of suitable habitat.
The People That Live in Snow Leopard Habitats
The people who share the endangered snow leopard’s habitat in Central Asia depend on livestock for their survival. To lose livestock to a predator like the snow leopard can be devastating financially for those who live on less than $2 a day. When they suffer a loss, they see no choice but to retaliate against the big cats.
Making a Difference for Both People and Snow Leopards
Snow Leopard conservationists are working with herder communities to break the circle of poverty and conflict. One unique program is Snow Leopard Enterprises.
The Snow Leopard Trust based in Seattle teamed up with Mongolia’s Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation to provide poor herder women in snow leopard habitat with the training and equipment they need to make rugs, baby footies, and other handicrafts from the wool of their livestock including felted cat toys!
The Snow Leopard Trust then buys the finished products from the women and markets them under the label “Snow Leopard Enterprises”. The income they gain from the sale of their products helps hundreds of families improve their lives. In return, participating communities sign agreements to protect the snow leopards living in their area from poaching and retaliation killings. If no cats are hurt throughout a year, the communities receive an additional bonus.
When will these be available to buy? I would like to help support this effort.
I think this is awesome and very important. I think it is so very important to the endangered species of beautiful cats and also the environment in which they live with humans. I think educating more on this could help.. it truly is a sad situation!
Snow leopards are beautiful and unique and should be cherished and respected. I believe that humans and animals living in harmony and balance is key to the future of this planet. Snow leopards and herder families are one piece of the puzzle and they can serve as a paradigm for peaceful, mutually rewarding, co-existence.
We need to take care of all animals!!
I love cats:)
I care about all animals and it is sad when a population goes extinct.
It really worries me that so many of the wild cats (and other animals) are at risk of extinction. We need to do everything we can to protect those that are left. Such magnificent creatures remind us there is beauty in this world. They need to be cherished and protect – especially from humans.
The snow leopard and the surrounding families are important to me because enough has gone extinct. They have a purpose, remove that purpose and what else is removed? We need to collectively work together to save humans and animals.
Snow Leopards are beautiful and equally as important as the communities.
They are beautiful and majestic animals and I am thankful for the people dedicated to caring for them.
We are lucky to have a few in our local zoo, through the breeding program. But they need to live free in their native habitat, more importantly.
Gorgeous hand-felted mice for an excellent cause!
Snow Leopards are my absolute favorite animals. Their one of the most beautiful cats and their evolution to live specifically where they do is absolutely fascinating. I am so happy that Snow Leopard Trust is have success in protecting the habitat and lives of wild snow leopards.
I love all the wild cats and think it is awful what is happening. CLose to extinction, loss of habitat. I think they need to work with the people in these areas and talk about birth control to limit them being overpopulated. Obviously the over population of humans, especially in the poor countries is wiping out wild cats and many other species.
snow leopards and the families that live where they live are an ecosystem! and we should do all that we can to protect both of them and their environment.
The Snow Leopards and the people who live among them are perfect and anything that can be done to preserve their relationship to each other and their environment is necessary <3.
They are gorgeous and I don’t want to see animals not doing well.
I care because animals werent created for no reason. A snow leopard has a place, they serve a function and if they are eliminated, that place is lost. When a place is lost there is a void and it affects an entire ecosystem.
ellen beck
Super Hurrah!!! Ellen you are the winner of the felted toy mice!!! Your package will ship via USPS Priority Mail! Thank you for being a part of The Tiniest Tiger community.
Thank you so much! With 5 cats they are all going to be saying a big thank you!!! Its a pleasure being part of this community, I love everything you do and the awareness you bring.
Congrats!!!!!!!!!
God’s creatures need to be protected to live their lives as we live ours. He gave us stewardship over them; they aren’t for us to just dispose of when they become inconvenient. All people need to be able to live in this world without constantly trying to take from others, whether that be the wildlife or their fellow people. We are to help the least and helping them will ultimately help both.
it is important to help save these magnificent cats and to help the people of the area with new resources & skills. this wasy both can co-exist together
Helping people that live in very unique and remote circumstances break a cycle of poverty using their own skills and resources, while encouraging them through education to protect habitats and coexist with snow leopards is a remarkable effort. I care about both the people and the leopards, because helping both to thrive in place will hopefully result in both prospering long-term. The culture of these people needs to be preserved, and their livelihoods sustained. Preserving snow leopard habitats will allow them to live their lives as nature intended, in the place they belong.
i think it is so important to preserve these wonderful cats. they are so at risk. it is our responsibility to preserve and care for the cats. they are so beautiful. we need to preserve all of our wildlife and their environment. we can co-exist with all of these animals without damaging their environment and putting them at risk.
It’s our responsibility to share our earth wisely.
All animals need help from people.
Snow Leopardd and the herder communities are both important and co-existentance from programs like this are the future!
The Snow Leopards and the people who inhabit the area have been there for centuries and deserve to be protected and saved. Everything is connected and they exist for a reason.
Snow leopards fill a unique ecological niche. And they are beautiful! The people who live in snow leopard habitats are often keeping alive centuries-old cultures, which should also be preserved. It’s great that the people can see the value of the snow leopards in their midst and can find a sustainable way to share the habitat.
Everything created has a purpose and to eliminate one creation upsets an entire ecosystem. It’s beautiful to see people working together for conservation while offering sustainable alternatives.
I care about all animals and humans that need help.
I love all cats, big and small!! They are beautiful creatures that we need to protect!
snow leopards are beautiful big cats, but i can also see the problems the people of the Himalayas face. it’s great when someone comes up with a way to help both!
I respect the planet and care for all living creatures.
I care about all animals!!! It’s very sad, that so many are losing their habitats due to us humans…
Anything to help a Snow Leopard. They are my favorite animal and they need all the help we can give them.
It’s our responsibility as citizens of this earth to protect all creatures who share this planet, not just the furry ones, like the snow leopard & our own kitties, but all people too.
Snow leopards are my absolute favorite animals! They are extremely beautiful and I’ve always felt a connection to their ghostly nature. Plus, the cubs are simply to-die-for adorable! Their large eyes, paws, and tails are just a few features that make them beautiful. The people that live along side of these big cats should be able to admire their beauty and grace as much as we all do and never have to worry about their livelihoods being threatened.
The snow leopards are our cousins…of course we care about them…and the humans in their habitat as well.
I care for Snow Leopards are lovely felines. I care about the people living in their habitat because I care for all people.
The Snow Leopard is such a beautiful creature and so are the people
I care about all life.
I care be sure they All deserve respect and care to show the world they are endangered and need protection.
I care because they have thoughts and feelings and are just trying to live in the world they were placed in.
This is a great thing Snow Leopard Enterprises is going not only to protect these beautiful cats but help these families as well.
Habitat is the key word…without caring for the habitat there will be no snow leopards!
I luv all animals great and small but have a special affinity for the spotted cats.
Watch safari live and you will see wondrous things!
Snow Leopards need to be saved, they are important to their ecosystem and just beautiful animals. Humans are killing the Earth and we need to do what we can to save what’s left!
It is important to educate communities about all endangered species, and to come up with a better alternative for them, if they are partially responsible for their decline.
It’s not just about snow leopards or their habitat. It’s earth as a whole. If we don’t care about what happens to one species, what happens to the rest of us. It’s a snow ball effect.
Our earth is in such a vulnerable state. By working together to help maintain balance, we may be able to help all species. Tragically, it’s already too late for some.
We’ve lost far too many species already. We have to preserve the rest
Snow leopards are a rare jewel we need to protect. As we help the indigenous peoples, we help the cats.
If you take a predator completely out of an ecosystem, then their prey will overpopulate which is another problem on it’s own. Or a different predator will increase in population.
I love all animals big and small ??????
Every animal has a place in maintaining the balance of our ecosystem and planet. Snow Leopards are victims of misunderstanding. We need to help maintain their lives and many more endangered animals and not hunt & kill them and then proudly have a photograph taken with you holding up their tail!
We are all Mother Nature’s creatures and our survival depends on respect for all, whether you walk on two legs or four.
Joanne you are wonderful doing what you do!! I love the project and the mice (but am not entering) since Cody is only one cat and I would love to see a multi-kitty household win these!
The health of our whole world depends on the health of all her creatures. I love that there are people who live so close to such magnificent cats!
Losing these beautiful creatures would be a tragic loss of epic proportions. They bring beauty and joy to a hardened world, and they deserve to be saved from extinction!
As it stands, humans and snow leopards need to co-exist. If supporting this program will help both, I think it’s a fabulous idea. I adore cats of all sizes and hate the idea of them disappearing from our planet.
Every creature on earth has a place in the eco-system. We cannot bear to lose any of them.
As a veterinarian, I love all animals but cats are my favorite……so this includes the wild felines as well as my own housecat, Sherlock. So many of the wild animals in our world are in danger of extinction, and it is all due to humans This program is such a great idea…..not only do the snow leopards benefit, but so do the humans in the region. Now the families have marketable items, new skills, and a source of income which can only better their lives while providing an incentive to protect the beautiful snow leopards. We all need to do better and be more caring for all creatures.
I love all cats, big and small.
I’ve always had a love for all cats, big and small, like most big cats, the snow leopard needs our help more than ever, and the sad irony is, humans are the cause of their problems and current horrible state they are in.
How do people NOT care about Snow Leopards?! Such beautiful animals!!