Young Snow Leopard

The young snow leopard climbs to the top of rocky ridge and looks back down to the valley in the weak light of an autumn evening. He must see but not be seen. Not yet big enough to bring down a wild blue sheep, he must keep a watch for his mother. If he is lucky he may catch an unwary rodent. It is good for the snow leopard that he is almost impossible to see with the human eye. The herdsmen of the Himalayas would most likely kill him if they could.

Both snow leopards and the herdsmen are literally and figuratively caught between a rock and a hard place. As human populations rise, so do the domestic grazers. Since the leopards' natural prey, wild sheep and ibex, compete for the scarce vegetation, they are shot. This drives the leopard to turn to the easy prey of the tame animals. In addition, the pelt of a snow leopard can bring in 50 times the yearly wage of a tribesman. This is why I did this painting for the International Snow Leopard Trust. The only hope for human life and wildlife in the Himalayas is to work out plans for community projects involving low impact economic development and wildlife protection. The Trust is working in many Himalayan countries with the ethnic groups. There are some promising successes. It can be a win-win situation.