Quick answer
Snow leopards live only in the high mountains of Central and South Asia — about 12 countries from the Himalaya to the Altai. They are not African leopards. Typical elevations are often 3,000–5,500 m. IUCN: Vulnerable. Figures checked 13 August 2026.
Twelve countries — which mountains?
Himalaya, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Pamirs, Tian Shan, Altai and the Tibetan Plateau. Suitable habitat is on the order of 1.2–1.8 million km². China holds the largest share. “High mountains and alpine zones” without naming the 12 states was the thin version of this page.
What microhabitats do they use?
Broken cliffs, ridgelines, and alpine pasture that still hold ungulates. They use lower valleys in winter where prey moves. That is not “edge habitat opportunity” next to a mine road.
How do people shrink the map?
Overgrazing that empties wild herds, retaliatory killing, poaching, and infrastructure. This is not a suburban-deer story. Fragmentation isolates cats across borders that a passport does not reconnect.
What does Vulnerable geography require?
Prey, herder programmes, and surveys of the uncounted 98%. Watch from a distance; never bait. A 2017 downlist is not a reason to open the map.
Does solitary life shrink the map?
Adults overlap little. Each isolated block needs enough ungulates for several huge home ranges. A postcard of one cat is not a connected Altai.
Why isn’t Kruger on this map?
Wrong species. WARN’s habitat appeal funds partner mountain-habitat work — not a Himalayan camp.
Sources
Snow Leopard FAQs
Where do snow leopards live?
Only in high mountains of Central and South Asia — about 12 countries from the Himalaya through the Tibetan Plateau to the Altai. They are not African leopards and they are not a farms-and-suburbs species. IUCN lists them Vulnerable. Typical elevations are often 3,000–5,500 m.
Which countries have snow leopards?
Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. China holds the largest share of habitat. A zoo loan is not a thirteenth range state.
Do they live with leopards?
Almost never as a shared lowland map. Snow leopards occupy cliffs and alpine pasture; Panthera pardus occupies forest, savanna and scrub at lower elevations. Clouded leopards are a third species in Southeast Asian forest. Mixing the pins mixes the threats.
What actually protects snow leopard range?
Prey on the mountain, herder conflict work, and keeping mining roads from opening hunting access. World Animal Rescue Network funds habitat-protection partners — not Himalayan camps.
Who this page is for.This page is native range and habitat, not a sighting hotline.