Lose the snow leopards and we lose one of the greatest battles of our time.

A vampire cat that sucks the blood from its prey. A winged beast that carried ancient warriors into battle. A bodyguard for the hero in Kyrgyzstan’s epic poem. The snow leopard’s exploits are the stuff of folklore, myth and legend.

This report originally appeared on worldwildlife.org.

 

 

UNEP, adidas Runtastic launch free running app - users to compete with wild snow leopard

Can you out-run a wild snow leopard?

adidas Runtastic, Internet of Elephants, the Snow Leopard Trust and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have teamed up to give millions of runners worldwide the opportunity to interact with and take action for snow leopards.

Elegant, swift, and elusive, the snow leopard is one of Earth's most magnificent creatures. This World Snow Leopard Day, October 23, let's make protecting these unique cats personal.

Last March, we asked #WildForLife champions to participate in the Big Cats Team Challenge, a joint effort to protect endangered big cats. Team Snow Leopard, led by Dia Mirza and the Snow Leopard Trust, received the highest number of pledges and was gifted a donation to help continue their important work. In celebration of World Snow Leopard Day, we sat down with Koustubh Sharma, Senior Regional Ecologist at the Snow Leopard Trust, to find out how they have been using the funds from the challenge.

Snow Leopard Trust

Senior Regional Field Biologist at the Snow Leopard Trust, Koustubh Sharma, talks snow leopards and the #WildForLife Big Cats Team Challenge.

This article originally appeared on Village Square.
 
Photo: Sharada Balasubramanian

Give your name to change the game; choose the snow leopard as your kindred species and tell your friends and family why you care!

Snow leopards are known for being striking and elusive. Learn more about this unique species here!