Research overview: snow leopard kill rates from GPS clusters

Applying the GPS-cluster method developed for pumas to snow leopards has begun to quantify how often these cats kill and what they eat, central questions for both ecology and conflict management. This overview synthesizes research in which collared snow leopards were tracked to clusters of fixes, then those sites visited to identify kills of wild prey such as ibex and argali versus domestic livestock. The data reveal kill frequencies, the proportion of livestock in the diet, and seasonal variation, informing compensation schemes and coexistence strategies with herders. The overview discusses the formidable logistics of reaching clusters in high, remote mountains and the small samples that result. Quantifying snow leopard predation through telemetry replaces guesswork with measurement, sharpening both scientific understanding and the practical management of human-snow leopard conflict.