International Snow Leopard Day 2026
International Snow Leopard Day falls on 23 October every year.
It marks the day in 2013 when the 12 countries where snow leopards live agreed, for the first time in history, to come together to protect one of the most elusive big cats on Earth. Since 2024, it has been a United Nations day too.
The Key Facts - International Snow Leopard Day
In a hurry? Here are all the key points you need to know about International Snow Leopard Day:
- Date: 23 October 2026 (same date every year)
- Origin: the 2013 Bishkek Declaration, endorsed in Kyrgyzstan on 23 October
- UN recognition: the UN General Assembly proclaimed 23 October the International Day of the Snow Leopard in December 2024
- Range countries: 12 - Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
- Wild snow leopard population: estimates vary from 4,000 to 6,400
- Conservation status: Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2017
- Main threats: poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss, falling prey numbers, retaliatory killings after livestock attacks, and climate change
- Scientific name: Panthera uncia
- Also known as: the ghost of the mountain
Why is International Snow Leopard Day on 23 October?
On 23 October 2013, leaders from all 12 snow leopard range countries met in Bishkek for the first Global Forum on the Conservation of the Snow Leopard. They endorsed the Bishkek Declaration and launched the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme, known as GSLEP. Reaching an agreement of this nature is rare, and it was a momentous occasion for the snow leopard, a step in the right direction towards protecting this beautiful and almost mythical cat.
The same 12 countries named 23 October International Snow Leopard Day. In December 2024, the UN General Assembly made it a recognised day for the entire planet. This year is only the second time it has been marked as a UN day, and we are all for it.
How Many Snow Leopards Are Left?
Nobody knows for certain how many snow leopards are left. That is part of the mystique and what has affectionately earned them the name the ghost of the mountain. Snow leopards live very high up across vast, remote mountain ranges, sometimes as high as around 5,400 m. Very few people will ever see one. The Snow Leopard Trust estimates that between 4,000 and 6,400 remain in the wild.
Strictly speaking, they are not classed as endangered. In 2017, the IUCN listed the snow leopard as Vulnerable, which still means a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Most of the threats come from people. Snow leopards are hunted for the illegal wildlife trade. As people and industry push further into the mountains, wild prey thins out, hungry cats turn to livestock, and farmers kill them in return. Climate change adds pressure on the high ground they depend on, creating a direct risk to their habitat.
How DSWF Protects Snow Leopards
The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) counts the snow leopard among its core species. Working with the Snow Leopard Trust in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, it funds the camera traps and GPS collars that track snow leopards across the mountains. DSWF supports education and income projects for the communities who live alongside snow leopards, so that sharing a mountain with one works for the people as well as the cat.
One snow leopard became the face of it all. Dagina, DSWF's snow leopard ambassador, was first caught on a trail camera as a cub in Mongolia in 2009, and grew up to be perhaps the most studied female snow leopard in history. She raised five litters, and four generations of her family have now worn GPS collars. Her story is a big part of why the Tost mountains are now recognised as a snow leopard stronghold, and her legacy will live on.
Read about how we work in partnership with DSWF.
A Gin Made for the Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard Gin exists because of this cat. Founder Will Phillips designed the bottle in the form of Mount Everest, topped with a snow leopard sculpture inspired by Stephen Rew, Wildlife Artist of the Year.
"The snow leopard is one of the world's most elusive species, and its survival is under threat," says Will. "Supporting wildlife causes has long been part of what I do, and this felt like a chance to do it on a far greater scale."
£500 from every bottle goes to DSWF. There will only ever be 200 bottles, so when the last one sells, the edition will have raised £100,000 for the snow leopard.
The snow leopard gets one recognised day a year. The work to protect it goes on for the other 364.
Find out more about our limited edition gin.
