WWF-TRAFFIC: Snaring of Big Cats in Mainland Asia

A new briefing from WWF and TRAFFIC finds distressing evidence of documented snaring cases involving a minimum of 387 big cats (tigers, leopards, snow leopards and Asiatic lions) across seven Asian countries between 2012-2021, with a majority of cases documented outside protected areas. The data suggests tigers (Panthera tigris) and leopards (Panthera pardus) are particularly impacted by snaring, with more than a third of cases involving tigers (33%) and more than half of the documented cases involving leopards (63%).

The findings highlight the need for governments to take holistic, multi-pronged steps to halt snaring, before big cat populations are pushed further to the brink of extinction. Offering a series of recommendations in order to tackle the threat, the report stresses that leadership from local communities, combined with an increase in the number and quality of adequately supported, effective, inclusive and professionalised ranger workforces, are key to dismantling the impact of snares.

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