International Snow Leopard Day | 25 Oct 2025
India marked International Snow Leopard Day with the ‘#23for23’ campaign to raise awareness about snow leopard conservation.
- In 2024, the United Nations designated 23rd October as International Snow Leopard Day to promote cooperation for snow leopard conservation and ecosystem protection.
- #23for23: The campaign, initiated by the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) and the Snow Leopard Trust worldwide, to dedicate 23 minutes of physical activity for honouring the snow leopard.
- Snow Leopard: The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), often called the ‘ghost of the mountains’, is an elusive big cat found across high mountain regions of Asia, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and several Central Asian countries.
- It is ecologically significant and listed under Appendix I of CITES, and Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
- It is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN (2017), the species faces major threats from habitat loss, prey depletion, poaching, illegal trade, and climate change.
- They are solitary animals, prefer elevations between 3,000 to 4,500 meters. They breed seasonally, with a gestation period of 90-100 days.
- Despite being called the snow 'leopard', they're genetically more closely related to tigers than they are leopards.
- India’s Conservation Measures: The Snow Leopard Population Assessment (SPAI) reports 718 snow leopards in India, with 477 in Ladakh, marking the first scientific population survey in the Indian Himalayas.
- It is listed as Schedule I species as per Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Read more: Snow Leopard