Snow Leopard

 

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Sakya, China, October 2010

 

Hands of hope

 

Ten thousand hands rising under a magnificent blue sky, 10 000 times more hope for snow leopards.  Perched on one of the prayer flags, a lungta, that are strung everywhere in this area and colour the mountainsides, I help with the promise of the people reunited here during this annual Buddhist festival: protect snow leopards and do not engage in illegal trade of wild animals. 

 

In the high Tibetan plateaus, this ceremony is welcomed by snow panthers, still victims of poaching for their bones and skin.  The protection of this remarkable animal and it's prey is urgent.  Thanks to the cooperation of the Snow Leopard Trust and the Shan Shui Conservation Center, moments like today are great steps towards better educating the local population. 

 

China represents 60% of snow leopard habitat between Qinghai, Tibet and Gansu, and is home to close to 40% of the total population.  Interestingly, few Chinese know of their existence and it is rare to find someone who knows that this feline is native to their immense country. 

 

Now lets imagine 10 000, 10 000 hands lifting in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and throughout the country...; China will become the heart of conservation for snow leopards and other threatened species, with a strong message to the entire world.  Protecting its national treasure will become, little by little, second nature and it is now, with these hands almost touching the sky, that victory is built.  

 

 

 

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Snow Leopard Exhibition, Safari de Peaugres (France), July 2007

 

After Jurques and Thoiry and for the fourth year of its French tour, the Eco-Sys Action Snow Leopard Exhibit under the yurt moved South to Safari de Peaugres in Ardeche. The public will be able to travel to Central Asia through the photos of kids inviting them for a long journey into snow leopard territory. People will discover not only the difficult situation of this big cat, but also the diversity of cultures along the fame Silk Road. It will also emphasize the ambitious projects we have with the Snow Leopard Trust (see project).

 

Located at the heart of the kids' playground, the yurt will be a sure hit with children and an unique experience. Schools are again scheduled to visit it and a CD kit with fun games and questions about the snow leopards (through the story of Barz, the snow leopard cub) will be remitted to them.

 

 

 

Handicrafts from Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia were sold at the shop together with our cute Barz plush toys. Visitors will be therefore able to directly contribute to the project and help protect the snow leopard and its unique biodiversity.

 

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Snow Leopard Exhibition, Thoiry (France), May 2006

 

After two years in Jurques, the Snow Leopard Exhibition moved closer to Paris, in Thoiry Park. In the beautiful setting of Thoiry's 16th-century castle, the Eco-Sys Action Mongolian yurt once again became a place of discovery about snow leopards through the eyes of Central Asian kids.

 

A step into the yurt and the visitor is taken to a faraway trip to the Silk Road where time is catching up on the snow leopards. See our project with the Snow Leopard Trust to boost this great cat's survival rate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Snow Leopard exhibition, Jurques (France), April 2005

 

This year, Eco-Sys Action partnered once again with Zoo de Jurques for a new snow leopard exhibition under the Eco-Sys Action yurt. The new exhibition explains the problem of those big cats in Central Asia with a photo exhibit showing only kids from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekizstan and Xingjiang, China. Again, this wonderful part of the world is highlighted and the plea of snow leopards is told in a way that makes people understand the fragile balance of life between man and nature.

 

Schools were again invited to tour the exhibit and kids learned the simple, tough but also happy life of children in the sometimes harsh conditions of Central Asia.

 

 

Handicrafts from Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia as well as cute snow leopard plush toys were on sale at the zoo shop to raise funds for Eco-Sys Action's project with the Snow Leopard Trust (see our project).