Set Description
This set is a collection of World coins that depict images of the extremely endangered Snow Leopard. As many coins from as many countries of the World I hope to present and represent here. The Snow Leopard is a magnificent animal. Stunning in it's beauty.
Set Goals
I hope to give a worthy image of the number of countries that are involved in the plight of the Snow Leopard. It is far to close on the verge of extinction in the wild. The Snow Leopard or "ounce" (panthera uncia) is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because the global population is estimated to number less than 10,000 mayure individuals and to decline about 10% in the next 20 years. As of 2016 the global population was estimated at 4,500 to 8,745 mature individuals.
Snow Leopards are slightly smaller than the other big cats but like them exhibit a range of sizes, generally between 60-120 lbs. with an occasional male reaching 165 lbs. and smaller females under 55lbs. They have a relatively short body measuring from head to the base of the tail 30-60 inches. However the tail is quite long at 31-39 inches in length. They stand at about 24 inches in height.
Another part of my collecting goals is to have them listed alphabetically by country name and if applicable by series within that country. a tall order when there are lots of coins, but not so much if one keeps up on it as you add coins.
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AFGHANISTAN
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S250A 1978 Afghan CONSERVATION SNOW LEOPARD
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NGC PF 68 ULTRA CAMEO
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Year of Issue: 1978
Value: 250 Afghanis AFA
Metal: Silver
Purity: .925
Weight: 28.57g
Diameter: 38.5mm
Thickness: 2.8mm
Edge: Reeded
Orientation: Coin Alignment: up down
Grading Service: NGC
Grade: PF68 Ultra Cameo
Mintage: 4,370
Population: 3, 5 higher
References: KM# 978
Numista Rarity Index: 85
Snow leopards are iconic, well-known animals. They’ve been the subject of numerous wildlife documentaries, and have been featured in countless works of fiction. They feature heavily in the symbology and heraldry of the Tatars and the Kazakhs, and there are any number of local myths and legends surrounding these stunning felines.
There are only about three thousand snow leopards left in the wild, and the population is dwindling rapidly. In addition to their highly-prized fur, their organs are also used in some forms of traditional medicine – meaning that their hunting and poaching has yet to be eradicated, despite numerous laws in place that attempt to do just that.
While they are the smallest of the big cats, snow leopards exhibit a wide range of shapes and sizes and come in weights from 25kg to 75kg. Their tails are extremely long in relation to their bodies, which are usually rather short when compared to the builds of other big cats. These highly developed tails serve many uses – everything from a blanket to protect the leopard’s face from the cold to an extra balancing aid when scaling steep and mountainous territory.
Their most distinguishing feature, of course, is their beautiful coats. White or grey in colour, these coats are gorgeously dappled with the ‘open rosette’ style spots so emblematic of the leopard – and resulting, of course, in a horrifyingly prolific black market fur trade despite their classification as being Globally Endangered. These coats are soft and fluffy in the winter but much harsher and bristlier than might be expected during the warmer months.
Their bodies are perfectly adapted for the cold, rocky environments to which they are indigenous. They have thick fur to keep out the cold, broad paws to walk on freshly-fallen snow with, a stocky build that minimises heat loss and large nostrils to help them breathe thin, cold air. This makes it difficult for them to survive in other habitats, but has been of great assistance to them in their native lands.
These highly specialised animals can live in only a few types of habitat. They can be found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and only in very specific parts of those countries. There are plenty of snow leopards kept in captivity, however, and re-introduction programmes are being considered by some animal conservation groups.
They are thought to be most common in Siberia, where the freezing temperatures and jagged landscape fits their adaptations perfectly.
Like most cats, snow leopards are both territorial and solitary. Unlike many, however, they don’t defend their territories all that fiercely – these home ranges may be of a huge variety of sizes, and these are not creatures who need to kill and eat in massively high volumes.
They’re fairly secretive animals, and they remain extremely well-camouflaged in the wild.
While snow leopards will eat any meat they can find – including carrion and domestic livestock – they primarily hunt for their own food. Their diets are varied and opportunistic; they’ll kill and eat everything from small rodents to large indigenous mammals of anything up to four times their own weight. Their preferred diet appears to consist of mountain goats and sheep, but they will predate upon anything that comes into their range. Unusually amongst cats, snow leopards consume a significant amount of vegetation to supplement their diet – they remain obligate carnivores who cannot survive long-term without meat, but they can subsist for some time on a diet of grass and twigs. This sets them apart from many felines, who by and large derive no nutritional value whatsoever from herbivorous foods.
Unlike many large cats, who tend to breed year-round, snow leopards have a well-defined mating season. Generally speaking, they mate in late winter, gestate for between ninety and one hundred days, and give birth between April and June. By and large, neither males nor females will seek out a second partner once they have mated once.
Litters usually contain about two or three cubs, who are heavily furred though blind and helpless. They open their eyes after once week, walk after five and are fully weaned by ten – though they often don’t leave their mother’s territory until almost two years have passed. Once they do, however, they sometimes walk for a long time before finally choosing a place to start a territory of their own – a practice which probably developed to help avoid inbreeding and keep the gene pool widely dispersed.
Unusually, litters tend to be larger when the cats are bred in captivity. This quirk has made captive breeding programmes a great success, and it is likely that conservationists will be successful in their efforts to help the snow leopard survive as a species in the wild.
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BHUTAN
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S300N 1991 SNOW LEOPARD
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Year of Issue: 1991
Commemorative Issue: Endangered Wildlife Series
Value: 300 Ngultrum BTN
Metal: Silver
Weight: 31.47g
Diameter: 38.75mm
Thickness: 3.2mm
Edge: Reeded
Orientation: Medal Alignment: up-up
Grading Service: NGC
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
Mintage: 25,000
Population: 2 Top Pop Non Higher
References: KM# 65
Numista Rarity Index: 94
Bhutan is famous for its development philosophy of Gross National Happiness, built on the principles of environmental conservation, equitable and sustainable development, good governance, and cultural preservation.
Seventy-two percent of Bhutan is forested and more than a third of the country falls within a protected area. But there are challenged to conservation, including human-wildlife conflicts, unsustainable consumption of forest resources, poaching, and climate change that brings unpredictable weather patterns, floods, and landslides.
Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP)—the country’s largest PA for snow leopards—lies in the northwestern part of Bhutan, sharing a border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. The park protects an area of 4316 sq. km., with a rich biodiversity. Here snow leopards frequently prey upon young yaks, leading local herders to view the cats as pests that need to be eliminated.
The Conservancy is working collaboratively with the Bhutan Foundation, Nature Recreation and Ecotourism Department and JDNP authorities. We have formed partnerships with communities and initiated focused projects aimed at capturing the benefits of having snow leopards around, and so that communities will become the primary drivers of conservation. It was in JDNP where tigers were first recorded above 4000 meters, sharing habitat with snow leopards. Activities under way include community-based snow leopard monitoring, improving livestock management practices.
Thanks for this article from the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
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S$25 1993FM B.v.island SNOW LEOPARD
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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British Virgin Islands
Year of Issue: 1993
Value: $25 Dollars
Metal: Silver
Purity: .925
Weight: 20.09g
ASW: 0.5975
Grading Service: NGC
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
Series: Endangered Wildlife
Mintage:
Population:
One for the wildlife lovers, this expedition takes you into the high mountain passes of Ladakh in search of the elusive snow leopard. Teaming up with specialist local guides, venture to the remote Uley Valley, back-dropped by jagged cliffs, dramatic snow-capped mountains and the occasional gold-hued gompa (Buddhist monastery); this area that has only recently been developed for viewing these magnificent creatures. Well off the tourist trail, this is prime snow leopard country. There are only 200 living in the region (and only an estimated 6,000 to be living in the wild across the world), so sharp eyes – and binoculars – are essential; other animals likely to be spotted are Ibex, Tibetan antelopes, Blue sheep, Shapo (a type of wild sheep), marmots and the Tibetan Hare.Country:
Thanks to Expedition in search of the Snow Leopard
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KAZAKHSTAN
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S100T 2009 SNOW LEOPARDS
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Country: Kazakhstan
Year of Issue: 2009
Value: 100 Tenge KZT
Metal: Silver
Purity: .925
Weight: 31.1g
Diameter: 38.61mm
Mintage: 7,000
Population: 3
Grading Service: NGC
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
References: KM# 228
Numista Rarity Index: 95
Kazakhstan Silver Irbis Snow Leopard
1 Troy Ounce of .9999 Silver
Country.....................Kazakhstan
Face Value...............1 tenge
Purity.......................Ag 999,9
Weight.....................31.1 g
Diameter..................38.61 mm
2009 - 2010
This silver coin issued by the National Bank of Kazakhstan is dedicated to the snow leopard, a large species of cat that roams the mountain ranges of central and southern Asia. On the obverse, there is the State Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan framed with the national ornamental pattern. The lower part of the coin comprises the inscription of the coin’s face value. Along the rim of the coin, there is the embossed legend “Republic Of Kazakhstan” both in Kazakh and Russian separated by dots. The reverse design features the image of the snow leopard as well as the inscription of the coin’s mintage year. The snow leopard is a national symbol for Tatars and Kazakhs: a snow leopard is found on the official seal of the city of Almaty, and a winged snow leopard is found on Tatarstan's coat of arms. The upper part of the silver coin contains the legend indicating the name of the animal both in Kazakh and English. To the right of the image, there is the inscription denoting the designation of metal, its fineness and the coin’s pure weight.
This courtesy of World Bullion
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KAZAKHSTAN
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S1T 2010 SNOW LEOPARD
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NGC MS 70
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Country: Kazakhstan
Year of Issue: 2009-2015
Value: 1 Tenge KZT
Metal: Silver
Purity: .999
Weight: 31.1050
Mintage: 20,000
Population: 4
Grade: MS70
Grading Service: NGC
Catalog: KM-161
Numista Rarity Index: 82
The snow leopard is an official symbol of Kazakhstan, which was a suggestion of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Thus, the symbolism of this species is an important argument and an incentive in the goal to save it for posterity.
Numerous organizations, sports and tourism clubs, products and brands in Kazakhstan are using an image of a snow leopard. “Irby” was an official mascot of the Asian Winter Games “Asiada-2011”, held in Almaty and Astana.
Virtually all of the major rivers of Kazakhstan and their numerous tributaries originate from the glaciers in snow leopard habitat within the country limits or in the neighboring countries: China (Ili, Irtysh), Russia (Bukhtarma, Katun) and Kyrgyzstan (Naryn-Syr Darya, Talas, Chu) and others. All in all, there are 2724 glaciers in the mountains of the Republic with an area of 2033 km². The total volume of ice includes 100 km³ of fresh water, which is about twice as much as an annual river flow formed within Kazakhstan.
Rivers feed and make fertile valleys, where half of the population is located. Agricultural land and intense industrial activity is carried out in the East Kazakhstan, Almaty, Zhambyl and South Kazakhstan regions.
One of the largest lakes in the country – Balkhash exists because of Dzhungar rivers and river Ili, flowing from China. All this is another argument in favor of maintaining the habitat of snow leopards.
All the habitat areas of snow leopard in Kazakhstan are on dividing ranges, where fauna and flora of different regions are mixed, strengthening each other and forming region’s exceptionally rich biodiversity, compared with arid lowland areas. These areas comprise about 75% of biodiversity in Kazakhstan.
Rocky landscapes with their thin soil cover make the most fragile alpine ecosystems in comparison with other landscapes and require more attention in terms of conservation. Despite the thin soil layer, alpine meadows have a high variability and richness of flora and fauna. The majority of species included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan are in snow leopard’s ecosystem, as well as important hunted animals, many of which are the prey for this predator.
Beauty and the preservation of wild, pristine nature places in snow leopard habitat attract more tourists, mountaineers and explorers from around the world every year.
Further development of eco-tourism in mountain areas will increase an employment of local residents; whose work will involve monitoring of leopards and thus will contribute to its preservation. Alpine meadows, despite the harsh climate and a large diurnal temperature range fluctuations have a higher biodiversity than the neighboring semi-arid areas, and mountain landscapes of the Tien Shan, Altai and Dzhungarian Alatau and are considered to be the most beautiful, not only in Kazakhstan but also in Central Asia.
All six national parks and four reserves in the area of the snow leopard habitat in Kazakhstan have developed and are actively cultivating tourism routes through their territories. The total length of 75 routes in the protected area is about 2000 kilometers. Unfortunately, we have no data is available on the financial side and the profitability of tourism in protected areas.
Many private travel companies are also developing ecotourism, as well as hunting grounds. Undoubtedly, the development of tourism is an important and promising avenue to improve an economic situation of mountain areas, involvement of local residents in business as guides, maintenance personnel, as well as in sales of traditional handicrafts, organic food for tourists etc.
There are important areas of snow leopard habitat on a territory of Kazakhstan, which are – Altai, Saur, Junggar Alatau and Tien Shan, which carry international importance, as regions of high biodiversity and which are important in shaping the environment.
Junggar Alatau has the greatest geographical importance and uniqueness of biodiversity. This natural mountain range is extremely distinctive in this respect. There are very high levels of biodiversity and endemism of flora (180 – Kazakh endemics and 76 – Dzungarian) and fauna (Ranodon sibiricus).
There are more than 2,000 plant species in Dzhungar, about 30 of them are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and more than 100 are included in the pharmacopoeia. The two species of amphibians, several species of nesting birds and six species of mammals are listed in the Red Book out of the more than 300 species of fauna found here.
This courtesy Global Snow Leopard And Ecosystem Protection Program.
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KYRGYZSTAN
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S10S 2012 SNOW LEOPARD
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Country: Krygyzstan
Year of Issue: 2012
Value: 10 Som KGS
Metal: Silver W/Svarovski crystal inlays
Weight: 28.28g
Diameter: 38.6mm
Mintage: 3,000
Population: 1 Top Pop
Grading Service: NGC
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
References: KM# 53
Numista Rarity Index: 93
For the elusive snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan, a satisfying meal consists of an ibex or an argali. As it happens, these wild relatives of goat and sheep—bearers of spectacular, curved horns—are also the quarry of trophy hunters.
Although a quota system has been in place to regulate the number of animals taken for trophies, until recently intense illegal hunting in Kyrgyzstan has severely depleted these ungulates, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which sets the conservation status of species. And as their main prey animals have grown scarcer, the numbers of snow leopards, which are endangered globally, have fallen too.
But after President Almazbek Atambayev took office in December 2011, the picture has brightened for Kyrgyzstan’s snow leopards. This March he ordered a hundred-square-mile (260-square-kilometer) former trophy hunting concession called Shamshy, in the northern Tian Shan Mountains, to be set aside as a fully protected natural habitat for the cats.
According to the Snow Leopard Trust, a United States-based nonprofit that works through local communities to protect the animals, mountainous Kyrgyzstan—which offers ideal habitat for the leopards—now holds no more than 500 of them. That’s about 10 percent of the worldwide total, estimated at between 4,000 and 6,500 in Russia and 11 Central Asian countries—a range encompassing more than 800,000 square miles (two million square kilometers).
Saving Kyrgyzstan’s snow leopards is a high priority for the survival of the species. That’s because the country lies between northern snow leopard populations in Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan and the more southerly ones in the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges. Snow leopards are migratory—known to make long treks out of their home ranges—and Kyrgyzstan serves as a corridor between the two populations. Their intermixing strengthens the overall gene pool.
During the two and a half decades since gaining independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan, like all the former Soviet-controlled nations, has struggled to make the transition from communism. Many state agencies have suffered from a lack of funds, and according to Eric W. Sievers, a political analyst associated with Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies who directed various development projects in Central Asia throughout the 1990s, hunting licenses don’t always go toward conservation. Instead, “local-level observers claim that the funds go no further than the pockets of corrupt officials.”
In these circumstances national parks and reserves have gotten short shrift. Rangers have been underpaid, undertrained, and underequipped, and wildlife laws have been enforced weakly or not at all.
Snow leopards have suffered accordingly. The Kyrgyz government estimates that the snow leopard population has been halved during the past 20 years. And during the three-year period from 2003 to 2006 alone, the argali population fell from an estimated 26,000 to fewer than 16,000.
The main reason for the argali decline, Sievers says, is that “more argali permits were issued to American hunters than national law allowed.” Sievers cites one year, 1996, when 27 argali trophies were imported into the U.S. from Kyrgyzstan. But only 18 permits were issued “in accordance to Kyrgystan law,” according to government archives, meaning that at least nine additional permits were issued off the books.
Thanks to National Geographic for this article.
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MONGOLIA
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S25T 1987 SNOW LEOPARD
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Country: Mongolia
Year of Issue: 1987
Value: 25 Togrog MNT
Metal: Silver
Purity: .925
Weight: 28.28g
Demonitized: Yes
Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 25,000
Population: 17
Grading Service: NGC
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
References: KM# 50
Numista Rarity Index: 97
The snow leopard is an official symbol of Kazakhstan, which was a suggestion of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Thus, the symbolism of this species is an important argument and an incentive in the goal to save it for posterity.
Numerous organizations, sports and tourism clubs, products and brands in Kazakhstan are using an image of a snow leopard. “Irby” was an official mascot of the Asian Winter Games “Asiada-2011”, held in Almaty and Astana.
Virtually all of the major rivers of Kazakhstan and their numerous tributaries originate from the glaciers in snow leopard habitat within the country limits or in the neighboring countries: China (Ili, Irtysh), Russia (Bukhtarma, Katun) and Kyrgyzstan (Naryn-Syr Darya, Talas, Chu) and others. All in all, there are 2724 glaciers in the mountains of the Republic with an area of 2033 km². The total volume of ice includes 100 km³ of fresh water, which is about twice as much as an annual river flow formed within Kazakhstan.
Rivers feed and make fertile valleys, where half of the population is located. Agricultural land and intense industrial activity is carried out in the East Kazakhstan, Almaty, Zhambyl and South Kazakhstan regions.
One of the largest lakes in the country – Balkhash exists because of Dzhungar rivers and river Ili, flowing from China. All this is another argument in favor of maintaining the habitat of snow leopards.
All the habitat areas of snow leopard in Kazakhstan are on dividing ranges, where fauna and flora of different regions are mixed, strengthening each other and forming region’s exceptionally rich biodiversity, compared with arid lowland areas. These areas comprise about 75% of biodiversity in Kazakhstan.
Rocky landscapes with their thin soil cover make the most fragile alpine ecosystems in comparison with other landscapes and require more attention in terms of conservation. Despite the thin soil layer, alpine meadows have a high variability and richness of flora and fauna. The majority of species included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan are in snow leopard’s ecosystem, as well as important hunted animals, many of which are the prey for this predator.
Beauty and the preservation of wild, pristine nature places in snow leopard habitat attract more tourists, mountaineers and explorers from around the world every year.
Further development of eco-tourism in mountain areas will increase an employment of local residents; whose work will involve monitoring of leopards and thus will contribute to its preservation. Alpine meadows, despite the harsh climate and a large diurnal temperature range fluctuations have a higher biodiversity than the neighboring semi-arid areas, and mountain landscapes of the Tien Shan, Altai and Dzhungarian Alatau and are considered to be the most beautiful, not only in Kazakhstan but also in Central Asia.
All six national parks and four reserves in the area of the snow leopard habitat in Kazakhstan have developed and are actively cultivating tourism routes through their territories. The total length of 75 routes in the protected area is about 2000 kilometers. Unfortunately, we have no data is available on the financial side and the profitability of tourism in protected areas.
Many private travel companies are also developing ecotourism, as well as hunting grounds. Undoubtedly, the development of tourism is an important and promising avenue to improve an economic situation of mountain areas, involvement of local residents in business as guides, maintenance personnel, as well as in sales of traditional handicrafts, organic food for tourists etc.
There are important areas of snow leopard habitat on a territory of Kazakhstan, which are – Altai, Saur, Junggar Alatau and Tien Shan, which carry international importance, as regions of high biodiversity and which are important in shaping the environment.
Junggar Alatau has the greatest geographical importance and uniqueness of biodiversity. This natural mountain range is extremely distinctive in this respect. There are very high levels of biodiversity and endemism of flora (180 – Kazakh endemics and 76 – Dzungarian) and fauna (Ranodon sibiricus).
There are more than 2,000 plant species in Dzhungar, about 30 of them are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and more than 100 are included in the pharmacopoeia. The two species of amphibians, several species of nesting birds and six species of mammals are listed in the Red Book out of the more than 300 species of fauna found here.
This courtesy the Snow Leopard Conservancy
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MONGOLIA
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S500T 2005 SNOW LEOPARD NIOBIUM
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Country: Mongolia
Year of Issue: 2005
Value: 500 Togrog
Metal: Silver
Purity: .925
Weight: 24.93g
Diameter: 30mm OVAL
Mintage: 5,000
Population: 2
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
Grading Service: NGC
Catalog: KM-209
Numista Rarity Index: 91
The Great Ikh Hural, Mongolia’s parliament, has approved a proposal to turn the Tost Mountains, a prime snow leopard habitat in the country’s South Gobi province, into a Nature Reserve, one of four categories of State Protected Areas under Mongolian law. Under this designation, only traditional economic activities such as livestock grazing that aren’t harmful to nature will be allowed, while mining, construction, and hunting will be prohibited.
The Snow Leopard Trust would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to the Mongolian parliament, and in particular to Members of Parliament Erdenchimeg Luvsan and Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, who led a Parliamentary delegation with 5 fellow members who championed the proposal.
We would like to congratulate the local government at Gurvantes and the provincial government of South Gobi – and most of all Tost’s local communities, who have championed the idea of protecting this important snow leopard habitat for many years.
One of the largest protected habitats in the world
“This is a huge step forward for the protection of the endangered snow leopard in this part of its range”, says Charu Mishra, the Snow Leopard Trust’s Science & Conservation Director. “This Nature Reserve will be a bridge between two existing Protected Areas, the Great Gobi and the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. The resulting landscape will be one of the world’s largest continuous protected snow leopard habitats.”
Under Mongolian law, the government will now appoint a working group, consisting of members of several relevant government agencies and public sector partners, to work out the specifics of the new National Park, including its precise boundaries. “Within the 8163 square kilometers that are being considered for the National Park, there are currently around 12 licenses for mining exploration, and 2 active mining sites”, says Bayarjargal Agvantseeren, the leader of Mongolia’s Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation and Director of SLT’s Mongolia Program.
As mining activities won’t be permitted within the park boundaries, the working group now has to come up with a solution for the land affected by mining licenses. The licenses can either be revoked, in which case the companies holding them would be compensated, or the licensed land be kept out of the National Park. To protect the ecological integrity of the area, it would be important to revoke licenses that fall inside the boundary.
Tost is the site of the world’s most comprehensive long-term snow leopard research study, being conducted by the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation, Snow Leopard Trust, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences since 2008. The conservation organization Panthera was also a partner in the study until 2012.
In this study, scientists have so far tracked 20 snow leopards with GPS satellite collars, gaining unprecedented insights into the behavior and ecology of these cats, and monitoring wild snow leopard cubs in their dens for the first time ever.
A total of 20 snow leopardshave been tracked with a GPS collar in the long-term study in Tost to date.
Remote-sensor camera data collected over a span of five years has shown Tost’s snow leopard population to be stable and reproducing, with at least 12 adult cats using the area at any given time.
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NIUE
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$1 2014 SNOW LEOPARD COLORIZED
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Country: Niue
Year of Issue: 2014
Value: 1 dollar NZD
Metal: Copper/nickel
Weight: 28g
Diameter: 38.61mm
Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 1,000
Population: 1
Grade: PF69 Ultra Cameo
Grading Service: NGC
Engraver obv: Ian Rank-Broadley
Mint: Poland Mint
Numista Rarity Index: 97
Niue’s Endangered Species series of coins has created numerous opportunities for collectors with its highly detailed designs and low mintage limits. This 2016 Snow Leopard silver proof is the 6th Endangered Species design and a product of the New Zealand Mint. As you may expect, this coin is made of .999 fine silver and weighs 1 Troy oz. Since this silver proof was issued for Niue, one side shows a detailed portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The opposite side displays a leaping snow leopard. There are plenty of fine details to observe here. The 2016 Snow Leopard silver proof is limited to a mintage of just 2,000 coins.
Physical description
Snow leopards are highly adapted to their home in the cold high mountains. Their thick fur patterned with dark rosettes and spots (a pattern that is unique to each individual snow leopard) is the perfect camouflage for their rocky habitat, allowing them to stalk their prey.
Their beautiful coats are also made up of long hairs with a dense, woolly underfur to protect them against the cold.
Snow leopards have longer tails than other big cats. They can be up to 1 m in length and help the leopards to balance on steep, rocky slopes. They also provide additional protection against the cold since the leopards can be wrap them around themsleves while they are resting.
Why they matter?
From Bhutan to China, this remarkable species plays a key role as both top predator and an indicator of the health of its high-altitude habitat. If snow leopards thrive so will countless other species, as well as the millions of people whose livelihoods depend on the rivers flowing down from Central Asia's mountains.
Snow leopards are solitary and elusive creatures that usually hunt at dawn and dusk. They’re stealthy predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight.
Snow leopards’ favoured prey are herbivores, such as blue sheep, Argali sheep and ibex. But in many areas, snow leopards also prey on livestock, bringing them into conflict with herders.
Indeed, snow leopard habitat provides important resources for local communities – from food and medicine to grazing for livestock, and wood for shelter, heat and fuel. As well as water sources for millions of people downstream.
Main threats
Snow leopards continue to face a number of threats including habitat loss, poaching and increasing conflict with communities. And climate change is now putting the future of their mountain home at even greater risk.
Poaching: Snow leopards have long been killed for their beautiful fur, but their bones and other body parts are also used in Traditional Asian Medicine. And the illegal trade in snow leopard parts appears to be increasing.
Conflict with communities: Herders sometimes kill snow leopards in retaliation for attacking their livestock. And the decline in the leopard’s natural prey - due to hunting, competition from increasing livestock herds, and habitat loss - is forcing them to rely more on livestock for food and increasing the risk of retaliatory killings.
Shrinking home: Snow leopards need vast areas to thrive, but expanding human and livestock populations are rapidly encroaching on their habitat. New roads and mines are also fragmenting their remaining range.
Changing climate: All these threats will be exacerbated by the impact of climate change on the fragile mountain environment - putting the future of snow leopards at even greater risk. It will also endanger the livelihoods of local communities and the tens of millions of people living downstream of these major watersheds.
This courtesy the WWF.
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NIUE
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S$2 2016 SNOW LEOPARD EARLY RELEASES
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NGC PF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
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Country: Niue
Composition: Silver
Purity: .999
Diameter: 40mm
Thickness: 2.97mm
Edge: Reeded
Mintage: 2000
Population: 44
Numista Rarity
Index 0-100 97
Sixth of the Series "Endangered Species", the Snow Leopard 1 oz 999 fine Silver coin featuring beautiful mirrored image of an endangered animal, a Snow Leopard in the act of leaping on prey. This scene is mirrored in the finely engraved water. Low mintage 2.000 pieces worldwide
What WWF is doing
WWF has been working for many years to conserve the snow leopard by supporting a range of projects across Central Asia to reduce conflict between leopards and people, boost rural development, and control the illegal wildlife trade.
For example, we’ve helped build leopard-proof livestock pens, and we’ve set up compensation schemes for farmers who lose livestock to snow leopards. And supported camera traps and collaring to learn more about this elusive species.
In 2015, WWF launched its first ever network-wide Species Action Plan for snow leopards.
This comprehenseive strategy builds upon the organization’s long history in snow leopard conservation as well as the projects that WWF offices are currently undertaking in snow leopard range states.
The new strategy defines WWF’s contribution to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Plan, which was adopted by all 12 range states, and will ensure that WWF's efforts will complement the activities of governments and other organizations.
Under this strategy, WWF will work in 14 priority snow leopard landscapes.
The organization will focus on reducing poaching and stopping the trafficking of snow leopards and reducing demand for their parts through TRAFFIC.
It will also work to scale up successful community-based approaches to reduce human-leopard conflict, while helping to mitigate the threats of climate change.
These rare, beautiful gray leopards live in the mountains of Central Asia. They are insulated by thick hair, and their wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. Snow leopards have powerful legs and are tremendous leapers, able to jump as far as 50 feet (15 meters). They use their long tails for balance and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against the severe mountain chill.
Snow leopards prey upon the blue sheep (bharal) of Tibet and the Himalaya, as well as the mountain ibex found over most of the rest of their range. Though these powerful predators can kill animals three times their weight, they also eat smaller fare, such as marmots, hares, and game birds.
One Indian snow leopard, protected and observed in a national park, is reported to have consumed five blue sheep, nine Tibetan woolly hares, twenty-five marmots, five domestic goats, one domestic sheep, and fifteen birds in a single year
This courtesy the WWF and Power Coin.
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