Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) depredation and mass kills during 1992-2013 in the Hemis National Park of the Trans-Himalayas

The Hemis National Park of the Trans-Himalayas is home to a large population of Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and increasing numbers of agro-pastoralists. To persist in this harsh terrain, famers domesticate livestock, while non-locals hunt free-ranging, native ungulates. However, with fewer natural prey available, Snow leopards have depredated livestock. Consequently, the government enacted a cost-compensation scheme for farmers in 1992. Following a decade of marginal improvements, in 2002, several new strategies were deployed. Predator-proof holding pens and the Himalayan Homestay Program were implemented. The latter was an eco-tourism initiative to reduce retaliatory killings. Our objectives were to assess 22 years (1992-2013) of depredation under the compensation scheme with particular reference to the periods before, and after, these initiatives. Government records showed 1,624 livestock were reported from 339 sites with ~USD15,000 paid in remuneration. There were (x)=41 kills annually before-and 3.5 kills after-the initiatives ((H(2)=14.13, p<0.001). Mass killings were reduced from 5.5 events to 0.5 ((H(2)=11.76, p<0.001). Goats and sheep (57%) and horses (13%) comprised the majority of the losses. While the compensation scheme was active for all 22 years, the striking reductions occurred during the decade following the initiatives of 2002. This focal shift, however, was also accomplished while concurrently enforcing regulations against hunting, and thereby, likely increasing the number of wild prey as alternative food. Therefore, we report over a decade of successful management, whereby several factors helped ensure the safety and well-being of the community while aiding the long-term conservation of Snow leopards.