Saving Snow Leopards at the Foothills of the Himalayas

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, popularly known as the Darjeeling Zoo, sits at an altitude of about 7,000 feet, surrounded by green capped mountains, including Mount Kanchenjunga, which, at 8,586 meters (almost 30,000 feet), is the third highest mountain in the world. But this zoo in West Bengal doesn’t just boast breathtaking mountain vistas; it’s also home to more captive snow leopards than anywhere else in the world, a total of 11, including two cubs.

Snow leopards are listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with an estimated global population of around 4,000‒7,500, out of which 718 are surviving in India. The species faces a number of threats. They are hunted for their fur, and for body parts used in traditional medicine. Herders often kill snow leopards that prey on their livestock. And increasing human settlement, infrastructure, and the effects of climate change are limiting where and how far snow leopards can roam.

The Darjeeling Zoo began its captive breeding program in 1983. “The climate is suitable here for the snow leopards,” said Darjeeling Zoo director Dr. Basavaraj Holeyachi. The wild cats’ large paws act as snowshoes, allowing them to walk easily on deep snow. Their small ears prevent heat loss, and their thick, dense, spotted fur keeps them warm in the high-altitude location and provides camouflage. Within its enclosures, the Zoo constructed a facsimile of snow leopard habitat — equipped with rocky substrates, resting platforms, and caves to provide shade from the sun. Then, they acquired a pair of unrelated snow leopards from the Zurich Zoo, adding another pair from an American zoo a few years later. 

Snow leopards are shy and elusive, Dr. Holeyachi explained, and same-sex snow leopards are often aggressive toward each other. Consequently, breeding these wild cats in captivity is not easy. CCTV cameras record the snow leopards around the clock, which allows zoo staff to monitor their behaviour during breeding and mating, as well as after birth. 

In 1989, one snow leopard mother gave birth to two female cubs, marking the zoo’s first success. The Zoo continued to add more adults, including a male snow leopard from Sweden and two wild rescued females from elsewhere in India. In 2007, the Central Zoo Authority designated Darjeeling as the coordinating zoo for the conservation breeding of the species, owing to the zoo’s success — the park has seen a total of 81 snow leopard births since the inception of the program, six of which occurred just in 2023 and 2024. Some lived out their lives at the Darjeeling Zoo, while others were sent to zoos participating in the conservation program. 

The zoo keeps careful records of its Planned Breeding Program, as does the International Stud Book Keeper for snow leopards overseen by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and their Committee for Population Management, which tracks multiple species.

In addition to preserving snow leopards, the Zoo is playing a crucial role in the successful conservation of red pandas and, in recognition of those efforts, was shortlisted for the prestigious WAZA Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Award in 2024.

The red panda conservation program, which began in 1986 with one male and three females,  has grown to 21 red pandas, and Between 2022 and 2024, the Zoo successfully released nine red pandas into the wild — three males and seven females. 

The Darjeeling Zoo collaborates with international organizations to ensure the protection of these rare and vulnerable species, making it a vital player in global conservation efforts.