The Snow Leopard

      Winter is slowly sneaking up on us-- and with that brings the snow. Some of you may not be thrilled by this, but one Nepali resident sure is--the endangered and illusive Snow Leopard. It is estimated that there are 4,510-7,350 Snow Leopards left in the world--350-500 of which are in Nepal. Snow Leopards can be spotted in the Mustang, Dolpo, Humla, and Mugu regions of Nepal. This beautiful white and black spotted cat prefers the high altitude region of the country and can obviously, easily walk in the snow.

      The Snow Leopard averages around 1.8-2.3 m in length from head to tail and stands about 60 cm. tall. Their infamous long tail aids in balance along narrow cliffs and mountain paths--as well as aids in warmth, as the Snow Leopard likes to wrap the tail around it's face. The average weight of a female is around 35-40 kg. and a male 45-55 kg. They usually live 15-18 years and females will have 1-5 cubs within 100 days of gestation. Their mating season is in late winter--and the cubs are born in late spring, early summer. Cubs are independent from their mothers at 18-22 months.

      These animals are quite territorial, which is why they can become dangerous to villagers--especially small children. One Snow Leopard claims about 12 sq. km. of territory and will hunt animals 4x their size. They also feast on grass and twigs.

      Snow Leopards are threatened in Nepal and throughout Asia because of poaching and loss of habitat due to increased grazing land for domesticated farm animals. They are often poached for their pelts and bones for Oriental medicine. They are also hunted because they prey on local livestock and sometimes even kill a small village child who wanders too far. There are now many Snow Leopard Conservation areas throughout Nepal and efforts are being made to destroy snares, traps, and weapons used to kill these endangered animals. Awareness committees are also now in place to educate the local people on the severity of the issue of poaching Endangered Species.

      Keep an eye out if you're in the high mountainous regions of Nepal and you may just be lucky enough to spot one of these beautiful creatures.

Far West Nepal-- Baitadi

When asking most Nepali people what far west Nepal was like, I was given only one answer..it’s hot! No one knew what the land was like, what type of people inhabited the region, or anything of interest that I would encounter on my week long journey to Baitadi. So, I set out not know what I would find.
    The reason for my field visit to Baitadi was in conjunction with Trek Nepal setting up an itinerary for a “Volunteer Excursion,” which will be implemented in the coming months. The goal of setting up volunteer trekking and excursions in remote areas of Nepal is to bring tourism and volunteer aide to regions which enter very few Nepali minds, let alone foreign ones. Trek Nepal Int’l aims to partner with local NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), rather than INGOs(International Non-Governmental Organizations), as NGOs at the local level know the real needs and lifestyles of the people they are helping. The first partnership being set in place by Trek Nepal is with SADA (Social Awareness and Development Association).
   SADA works with a number of wards (small areas consisting of multiple villages) in order to bring awareness to education, agriculture, social, and health issues within the wards. Each ward has a Community Awareness Committee (CAC) with a social mobilizer, who runs the meetings.
    My job was to assess the main needs of each village in order to better grasp what sort of volunteers would be most beneficial in a short amount of time. The main needs of the villages are simple: better techniques for growing crops, crop storage, irrigation (for those who aren’t near the river), education, women’s health, and improved energy sources.
    The women of the villages are the ones who met for the CAC meetings, as their husbands are either working far or out of the country. Many of them don’t have anything to do during they day other than take care of the manual labour it takes to get basic necessities—so tourism by way of homestays, was a welcome idea by all.
    During my time in Baitadi—I was fortunate enough to be involved in a local festival for the Goddess, Paravati, called Gaura. The women make improve songs and dance in a circle in beautiful saris. It was so special to me to be included in that and they even made up beautiful songs about me. I’ve never felt more welcome in a foreign place.
    The rolling hills, raging rivers, and rice terraced fields made Baitadi an appealing destination—but the women of the villages and my local guides/members of SADA made it a memorable visit I’ll never forget. I only hope to do as I’ve set out and get Baitadi the volunteers they so desperately need—and show people of both Nepal and abroad, the beauty of far west Nepal!