In Nepal's Himalayas, snow leopards often prey on livestock and face retaliation from humans. A group of Nepali women have developed a simple solution to help keep both livestock and the predators alive.

In the stillness of a winter's night, a snow leopard slunk into the livestock enclosure on Rinchen Lama's farm. This big cat was out hunting, high in the hills of Dolpa, a Himalayan district in western Nepal. Everyone who lives in Dolpa can tell you about snow leopards – they are powerful predators. Those farm animals didn't stand a chance.

Rinchen remembers the scene the following morning: "There was wool everywhere, matted with blood. I lost 37 sheep and goats that night, almost my entire livelihood."

And then, a few months later, another attack. A snow leopard killed Rinchen's horse. Such losses are not easy to forget. "We've been told conserving snow leopards is important, but for communities like ours, they make life very difficult," he says.

Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are elusive creatures that inhabit the mountain ranges of 12 Asian countries. They like the high life. The big cats are generally found at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,000 metres (9,843-16,404ft) above sea-level, where they are the apex predators in the habitats they prowl. But they are also rare and secretive, making estimating their population difficult. But the creatures are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The last assessment of global snow leopard numbers in 2016 estimated that species population numbered between 2,700 and 3,300, though some estimates range as high as 7,000, according to the IUCN. Recent studies have also suggested that their population density may be far lower than previously estimated.

Snow leopard numbers are thought to be declining partly as their wild prey – the goat-like blue sheep or bharal, ibex, pika and hares – have been replaced by livestock, which are then killed by the predators instead. Domestic horses in particular have become an important food source for snow leopards in some areas. But it has also come with consequences.

Farmers who lose livestock to snow leopards – and so face the loss of their livelihood – sometimes choose to kill these cats in an attempt to prevent further attacks. But a pioneering conservationist in Nepal is working to change attitudes. And she couldn't do it without the help of local women.

Despite growing awareness around the importance of wildlife conservation, snow leopard killings by humans are considered a significant threat to these creatures. One recent report from Traffic, a non-governmental organisation that tracks global trade in wildlife and plants, estimated that each year between 221 and 450 are killed globally, and 55% of these in retaliation for predation of livestock.

It might seem shocking to some that an animal as vulnerable and majestic as the snow leopard could be the target of killings. But the people who live in those places most threatened by these big cats tend to be very poor, the soil on their farms is infertile, and nearby infrastructure is sparse.

Rinchen's farm, for example, is part of a tiny Himalayan hamlet, in a valley flanked by tall rocky cliffs. As in other communities in Nepal, the people here share their scarce pasturelands with many wild animals, including musk deer, Tibetan wolves and bharal.

The snow leopards do not have as much wild prey to hunt as they once did, meaning they often attack domestic animals. Rinchen's story, of a snow leopard killing many sheep and goats in an enclosure overnight, is a catastrophe for a Himalayan herder. Incidents like this fuel the ongoing conflict between the leopards and locals. And such attacks are surprisingly common.

One study published in 2020 found that each household in the high-altitude, ethnically-Tibetan area of Dolpo or Upper Dolpo – itself an area within the district of Dolpa – lost, on average, four domestic animals to snow leopards in one year. The resulting financial loss, of around 120,000-140,000 Nepali rupees (£690-£870/$900-1,050), is roughly equivalent to the........

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