<紀行・エッセー・感想文>キルギスにおけるユキヒョウ研究の試み

Abstract

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is the apex predator in the high mountains of Central Asia. As the snow leopard has adapted to the high mountain environment, the evolution of their morphology and locomotion are interesting. In addition, there is a concern that snow leopard populations have decreased due to human activities, such as poaching. However, the effect of poaching and other threats on snow leopards is still unclear. We plan to study snow leopards with a broad perspective and will be investigating questions ranging from evolution to conservation priorities for the species. Kyrgyzstan is one of the well-known snow leopard habitats and the country partially permits trophy hunting of ungulates, the main prey of snow leopards. In recent years, the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) has led efforts to research and conserve snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan. We have started a collaborative research project on snow leopards with SLT. Here we report our preliminary field work from October to November 2017. We conducted a preliminary study in Shamshy wildlife sanctuary to evaluate the feasibility of two field methods: 3D-camera-trapping and biochemical analysis of faecal samples of snow leopards. In Shamshy, the prey animals that snow leopards depend on are currently protected from trophy hunting. However, local rangers report that poaching remains a problem. With the support of local rangers, we succeeded in setting up our new camera trap and collecting a faecal sample. We extracted hormones and DNA from the faecal sample, and plan to analyse them. Our preliminary work indicates that Kyrgyzstan is a suitable site for this field research. In addition, our collaboration with SLT is a promising partnership for snow leopard conservation and evolution research. In the near future, we will recover our camera trap and continue collecting faecal samples in the field.