Echoes of the Himalayas; A QUEST TO WITNESS THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD

This video serves as the trailer for a documentary prepared based on research conducted by BIOCOS Nepal (Biodiversity Conservation Nepal), a non-profit organization. The research was led by Dr. Paras Bikram Singh, Conservation Ecologist at BIOCOS Nepal. The research took place in Manang and Mustang within the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. It encapsulates the experiences of the research team, including Dr. Singh and Buddhi Bahadur Gurung, as well as their sentiments towards snow leopard conservation and the challenges they face.
Dr. Singh's deep commitment to saving snow leopards was sparked by an incident where he witnessed an injured snow leopard freeing itself from traps set on the leopard in revenge for livestock depredation. Despite the research team's decade-long involvement in research, they had never before encountered a snow leopard in the wild, as their research primarily relied on scats and camera traps. Although seeing a snow leopard was not essential for their research, they were frequently asked the question, "Have you ever seen a snow leopard?".
This year, they embarked on an expedition specifically to observe these magnificent creatures in the wild. Building upon research findings, BIOCOS has identified snow leopard hotspots in Manang. Motivated by their desire to witness these elusive creatures in their natural habitat, Dr.Singh formed a super team of five wildlife enthusiasts including Buddhi B. Gurung ( field biologist at BIOCOS), Prakash Gotame (Snow leopard Scout) and two wildlife and nature photographers, Sameer Shrestha and Om P. Yadav for the expedition set in January 2024.
Upon completing the expedition, the entire team shares their Himalayan experience of searching for snow leopards through the documentary "Echoes of Himalayas". The full video will be available for viewing in upcoming special shows. Stay tuned with the team for updates. The footage in the video was captured in the Neshayng Valley, Manang. Our primary objective is to raise awareness for the conservation of snow leopards, their prey, and their habitats. This initiative builds upon years of research conducted from 2017 to 2023, culminating in the expedition undertaken in early January 2024." Music credit: Cinematic Bass Atmosphere.wav by Benboncan -- freesound.org/s/106266/ -- License: Attribution 4.0