India’s Elusive Snow Leopards Snapped in Key Survey 

A snow leopard looks on from an inside of a cage, after being captured from the southern plains of Nepal and brought to the central zoo, which wildlife experts say is rare for the animal that is found in the higher altitude, in Kathmandu, Nepal January 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A snow leopard looks on from an inside of a cage, after being captured from the southern plains of Nepal and brought to the central zoo, which wildlife experts say is rare for the animal that is found in the higher altitude, in Kathmandu, Nepal January 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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India’s Elusive Snow Leopards Snapped in Key Survey 

A snow leopard looks on from an inside of a cage, after being captured from the southern plains of Nepal and brought to the central zoo, which wildlife experts say is rare for the animal that is found in the higher altitude, in Kathmandu, Nepal January 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A snow leopard looks on from an inside of a cage, after being captured from the southern plains of Nepal and brought to the central zoo, which wildlife experts say is rare for the animal that is found in the higher altitude, in Kathmandu, Nepal January 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Snow leopards have been dubbed the "ghosts of the mountains" for their elusive behavior, but Indian researchers have successfully photographed more than 200 in a landmark study estimating at least 718 across the country.

The mammoth five-year survey, the first nationwide review of snow leopards in India, monitored 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of their remote mountain habitat, according to the environment ministry.

It involved setting out camera traps in nearly 2,000 locations recording more than 180,000 nights -- the equivalent to nearly 500 years -- to record 241 individual leopards on camera.

The leopards -- with thick grey fur dotted with dark spots, and large paws that act as natural snow shoes -- are "masters of stealth and camouflage", according to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) India, who assisted the assessment.

The environment ministry said the survey has "significantly increased understanding" of the rare creatures, Indian media reported Wednesday.

Snow leopards, scientific name panthera uncia, are listed as "vulnerable" species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Before the survey, the WWF had suggested that there were between 400-700 snow leopards in India. The report now puts the total number in the upper range of earlier estimates.

Two-thirds of the cats are found in India's far northern Ladakh, with the rest in Himalayan states including Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the survey found.

"Consistent monitoring is essential to ensuring snow leopards' long-term survival," the environment ministry added.

The Snow Leopard Trust, a US-based conservation group, says the exact total number is not known but that "there may be as few as 3,920 and probably no more than 6,390" across 12 countries in Asia.

The IUCN has dubbed the solitary cat the "ghost of the mountains" for its ability to hide, noting numbers are "decreasing mostly due to habitat loss, poaching, and the impacts of climate change".



Maldives President Holds Record 15-hour Press Conference

This handout photograph taken and released by the Maldives President Office on May 3, 2025 shows Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu speaking during a marathon press conference in Male. (Photo by Maldives President Office / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Maldives President Office on May 3, 2025 shows Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu speaking during a marathon press conference in Male. (Photo by Maldives President Office / AFP)
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Maldives President Holds Record 15-hour Press Conference

This handout photograph taken and released by the Maldives President Office on May 3, 2025 shows Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu speaking during a marathon press conference in Male. (Photo by Maldives President Office / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Maldives President Office on May 3, 2025 shows Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu speaking during a marathon press conference in Male. (Photo by Maldives President Office / AFP)

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu addressed a press conference for nearly 15 hours, his office said on Sunday, claiming it broke a previous record held by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Muizzu, 46, began the marathon press conference at 10:00 am (0500 GMT) on Saturday, and it continued for 14 hours and 54 minutes with brief pauses for prayers, his office said in a statement.
"The conference extended past midnight -- a new world record by a president -- with President Muizzu continuously responding to questions from journalists," the statement said.
In October 2019, Ukraine's National Records Agency claimed that Zelensky's 14-hour press conference had broken an earlier record of over seven hours held by Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, AFP said.
The government of the Indian Ocean archipelago said Muizzu's extended session was also intended to coincide with World Press Freedom Day on Saturday.
"He acknowledged the crucial role of the press in society and emphasized the importance of factual, balanced, and impartial reporting," the statement added.
During the lengthy session, Muizzu also responded to questions submitted by members of the public via journalists.
The statement said Muizzu, who came to power in 2023, was also marking his island nation's rise by two places to 104th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
During Saturday's session, he answered a wide range of questions, the statement said.
Around two dozen reporters attended and were served food.
A predecessor of Muizzu set another world record by holding the first-ever underwater cabinet meeting in 2009, to highlight the threat of rising sea levels that could swamp the low-lying nation.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed plunged into the Indian Ocean followed by his ministers, all in scuba gear, for a nationally televised meeting.
The Maldives is on the frontline of the battle against global warming, which could raise sea levels and swamp the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered across the equator.