Snow Leopard

[paulchandler6]

Did anyone see the program on Snow Leopards tonite on BBC2 (Natural World).
Some fantastic footage of a truly magnificent animal. Felt very priveleged to see it.

Paul

[Dan Salter]

Sure did !!...excellent attenborough again...i nearly didnt watch it as i thought it was just the making of the snow leopard segment from Planet Earth but im glad i did now....and "Puffin Island" that was on after!

Did you see the guy living with wild bears the other night?

There is another "Natural World" next week.

[rlchew]

Excellent programme .... but talk about having to work hard for your wildlife in some remote and challenging environments.

2 particular thoughts .... (a) I still have mixed views at seeing the trapping and collaring of such a magnificent wild animal albeit for scientific tracking and research (b) it was wonderful to see the excitement and joy on the faces of the young kids at the end as they saw footage of the Snow Leopards on a laptop PC and mobile phone.

Richard

[tigger]

I thought this was a great film - amazing footage. I've been lucky enough to meet wildlife cameraman, Hugh Miles, who took some of the first film of Snow Leopards a few years ago, as he lives near to me. It took him years to get his shots. These guys were a lot luckier.

Like you rlchew I'm not sure about the tagging. Why did they need to have "blue" tags in her ears - couldn't they have put white or snow leopard coloured tags? It can't have helped when she was hunting... and the actual tag round her neck was enormous and very obvious. I felt really sorry for her.

I read about the making of this film in the BBC wildlife magasine... really facinating stuff and some brilliant photographs. Would love to see one... such amazing creatures.

[Ron C]

The first film on Snow Leopards was doneback in, 1999 by UK’s Hugh Miles and Aussie Mitchell Kelly.
You can get part of the flim from the link below

Silent Roar: Searching for the Snow Leopard


To get this weeks Planet Earth program/Film from BBCiPlayer
The Snow Leopard (UK only)
go to
BBC - BBC iPlayer - Programme Information - Natural World

Tigger, Huge is one of our great wildlife cameramen/directors
His next video named “Catching the Impossible” may be on TV this winter.

[tigger]

RonC. Yes, I know. Hugh is an great bloke, he has been helping us with our campaign to stop building on green belt land in Corfe Mullen, Dorset. He showed me around his beautiful garden down the road, and then we sat drinking tea, talking about Otters, fishing, snow leopards & birds all afternoon. It was my idea of heaven!

Jane

[Rob T]

3 years of filming, probably 10 mins of pure snow leopard on screen veiwing, thats patience, I get fed up if I sit for a couple of hours without seeing anything.

I must admit the snow leopards earings did look a bit bright but I would think itwould be for I D purposes at a distance for when the colar falls off.
Nice to see the local villagers being educated to.

Regards

Rob

[Dutchess]

A fascinating programme, I wished I'd been able to see it all, I missed the first part. Yes, I too felt uncomfortable at seeing the snow leopard snared. These things have to be done I suppose but it was obviously very frightening for her.

'Don't want to be a damp squib, but it struck me that those village children were probably fascinated by the modern technology than by the actual footage of the snow leopard itself Ok, call me a cynic then

D.

[tigger]

Yes, the snare seemed very barbaric. It just didn't seem right. Even though it was supposed to be for the good of the species...

I tend to be a cynic with you... I thought they liked the phone!

[PMG]

We were very upset to see her snared - it brought tears to my eyes to see her so frightenend. I've always thought snares are barbaric and I still do. We were also upset by the size and colour of the radio collar: surely there are thinner collars or at least they could have camouflaged it to the leopards fur - I'm sure if we could see her coming a mile off - then I'm very sure her intended prey could see her even more clearly.......... I'm sorry but I don't think science comes before life for the creature involved. They are going about it the wrong way in this case - there are too few of these leopards and they should not endanger the one for the good of the others. I cannot agree with this action not even for the sake of educating the local people. I don't know what the right way forward would be but don't feel this is it.........

Pauline

[Meta menardi]

I loved the programme, but I felt there was more than one person in the film who was obsessed with technology. The man who tagged the leopard said he was as hurt by the tagging as anyone could be, there was nothing else he could do. What about waiting till tracking collars get a bit more advanced and less bulky, then doing the research? I felt that the collar, the snaring and the handling was so intrusive that the results might be unrepresentative of true behaviour.

I was told that if you walk round carrying a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. How about if you get funding to do a tracking project. I really am not a fluffy person, but I had some serious doubts about this.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I loved the programme, but I felt there was more than one person in the film who was obsessed with technology. The man who tagged the leopard said he was as hurt by the tagging as anyone could be, there was nothing else he could do. What about waiting till tracking collars get a bit more advanced and less bulky, then doing the research? I felt that the collar, the snaring and the handling was so intrusive that the results might be unrepresentative of true behaviour.

I was told that if you walk round carrying a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. How about if you get funding to do a tracking project. I really am not a fluffy person, but I had some serious doubts about this.

Thank you - my thoughts exactly - and I'm not fluffy nor a 'robin-stroker' thanks for saying it a bit better than me!

Pauline

[ron1863]

Brilliant programme and as like others I am not sure about the radio collars but on the other hand if it helps their continued existence then surely it can only be a good thing. The leopards didn't seem too concerned about it.

[juliejam]

Loved this programme... what a Beautiful animal..also what fantastic scenery and with that snow falling a real picture..


Julie

[hammock monkey]

didn't the tagged beauty make a kill - which i think is the first ever caught on camera, or was that another leopard?

fantastic prog, the part where the village elder observed the footage and said 'what was enemy is now friend' said it all.

at the end of the day man getting involved with animals usually causes plenty of disturbance to it, but hopefully this'll work out for the best.

[zan]

I thought it was a fantastic programme - real testament to the BBC! I can't decide about the tagging collar, because I suspect my main objection to it is an aesthetic one. If the cat is able to hunt effectively and displays normal behaviour (as far as we can know for a rare and elusive species) you have to think that it's ok with the collar. Forgetting the rest of the species, it could save that individual - if they hadn't found her near the village with the wild goat kill she could have been killed for the sake of the local livestock.