The Ghost of the Mountains: Unravelling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard
Author: Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi
ISBN-13: 978-1803511849
Publisher: Granta
Guideline Price: £20; 304pp
The anthropocentric mindset of us human animals has greatly affected the life prospects of other animals. Many species are now extinct, while others have suffered dramatic habitat loss or been hunted to a point where their numbers are unsustainably low. When even the future of the snow leopard, hallowed for its enchantment and mystery, is endangered, we grasp, glancingly, how much damage we have caused.
Some humans attempt to redress our self-centredness by doing all they can to reverse the alarming decline of particular species. One such is Kulbhushansingh Suryawansi, author of this elevated (in every sense) book of passionate advocacy for the snow leopard’s significance.
Having undergone specialised training in mountain climbing – essential for him to access the areas of Central and South Asia where the animal can be found – he is watching a herd of blue sheep (as the bharal, a goat rather than a sheep, are called) when he notices their apex predator: “Seeing the snow leopard changed the course of my life, and every new snow leopard sighting reminds me to go in search of the unknown and instils me with a sense of meaning and purpose.”
There is plenty of time for wonder in the book, as both animals and landscapes induce a sense of awe. But this is a pragmatic book, primarily concerned with the complex questions that conservation raises. In particular, he understands the necessity for co-operation from those who share these inhospitable areas with snow leopards, which sometimes visit herders’ corrals to take sheep or goats from their pens.
Because they prefer to hunt mountain-dwelling animals, he suggests trying to increase the populations of blue sheep and ibex. However, it transpires that this increase would attract more snow leopards to the area, resulting in no change to the overall predator-prey ratio. Some herders accept designs for pens that keep their livestock safe. In a region of Mongolia, the herders design an alternative corral themselves: “we should be giving the herders agency”.
The threat of mining, the impact of tourism, along with westerners’ desire for cashmere and hunting licences present further tribulations. All these issues, together with his accounts of the exceptional work he and his colleagues undertake, make Suryawanshi’s fascinating, honest book both encouraging and dispiriting.
Declan O’Driscoll is a freelance reviewer and curator of the Circling the Square Festival