Hi ho hi ho it's off to school we go. Check out the footwear. It wears out pretty fast when you have to walk five hours a day to complete your schooling. These kids are on the infamous Chomrong steps (there's about 3000 of them) but they also face dusty trails strewn with rocks and tree roots... and of course in winter there's snow. The cold season also means walking in the dark.
So if a leopard or other big cat takes a goat or sheep from one of these families the economic hardship increases.
There are so many issues. Tourist trekkers want meat. Farmers provide it. Big cats have alternative food sources i.e domestic animals. Lodge owners earn more money. They start to eat more meat. Herd and flock sizes increase to meet demand. Leopards alter their behaviour. Festivals mean goats for sacrifices and meat to eat. Herders move their animals to high pastures during monsoon ... snow leopards go "hmmmm, I like the look of this..."
Winter comes. Snow drives leopards and snow leopards to hunt lower. Domestic animals become prey.
Insurance? What insurance?
Down on the lowland let's protect the tiger. Yeehah!! We succeed in increasing the tiger population!! Many "likes" on Facebook!!
Meanwhile Mr Leopard is being driven out of his territory by the new tigers. What does he do? He looks at the farms, what does he see?
"Hmmmm, I like the look of this..."
I could go on and on. It's complicated. Meanwhile the kids walk to school.
A long way. Up and down.
I've got a lot of up and downs as well over the next three days so there'll be no contact. I'm heading deep into snow leopard country hunting for data.
There's a lot to do...
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