It took nature 3 and half million years to evolve an animal we are losing in a heartbeat...

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The image links to the article which was tweeted at @WildTigerNews and posted at Living with Leopards:

#WildlifeCrime #India #Nepal - #Wildlife smuggling continues in frontier areas

I'm just waiting till after Dashain Festival for the latest response re update on protected status for the leopard in Nepal. We're prepared to delay International Day of the Leopard if we know there will be positive news on this, then it can be announced, much to the advantage of the cat and Nepal. If there is no progress then things will continue to deteriorate for the leopard.
Off now for more work on the rehabilitation and reintroduction of the leopard Dipnani. Every one of these cats is precious. I just wished to hell more people understood that. Support is shadowy and that is wrong. It took nature 3 and half million years to evolve an animal we are losing in a heartbeat...

"Living with Leopards" program... Fantastic people who help from the heart...

Great joy to welcome back Bernd and Monica to Bardia today. Honestly, the efforts they have made to help with an array of equipment for the program, well it actually brought a tear (or two) to my eye. I'll bring more details soon but yeah, these selfless acts save lives of people and wildlife in this complex realm of coexistence. A simple phone and a torch system is part of that but B and M do so much more and are truly part of the program. A great meeting this morning went further to us progressing with implementing, because it is about action. More soon on how people can help.

Happy Dashain from Nepal, respect for both people and wildlife...

HAPPY DASHAIN from Nepal, part of the Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot system, one of 25 dedicated zones on Planet Earth. The image was taken at a small temple in Baitadi, one of my project sites, where human and wildlife coexistence has been challenged to the extreme with many leopard attacks resulting in human fatalities and the retaliation meaning big cats being killed. Nepal is a land of festivals, diverse culture and extreme habitats for both wildlife and people. Dashain is an important time when families come together so for many that will be a time of remembrance. Having spent time with so many people who have been involved in serious conflict with wildlife and seeing the results first hand, witnessing wild animals on the rampage and feeling the frustration of both parties, I hope that all living beings get respect during festival time and that there are increased efforts and support for #coexistence, this vital aspect of biodiversity conservation in such an important place... #ecosystems