Snow leopards, apex predators of the Trans-Himalayan region, rely on wild prey to sustain their populations. However, in areas dominated by livestock, these majestic cats may also opportunistically prey on domestic animals, with livestock making up between 7% and 65% of their diet.

This predation can impose severe economic burdens on local herding families, often resulting in substantial losses to their annual income. The financial strain can lead to emotional distress, which can cultivate resentment towards snow leopards. This in turn escalates the risk to snow leopards as human-wildlife conflicts intensify, threatening their survival.

Our research highlights the intricate relationship between snow leopards, their wild prey, and livestock, revealing crucial insights for effective conservation strategies. Increasing wild prey populations is often suggested as a conservation measure for large carnivore populations. Yet, the effects of this approach on domestic livestock are complex: boosting wild prey could either reduce livestock predation (apparent facilitation) or exacerbate it (apparent competition). The impact depends on how predator density and diet respond to changes in prey availability.

In 2017, our study across seven sites in Asia explored how variations in wild prey abundance influence snow leopard predation patterns. By estimating wild prey density through double observer surveys, livestock density and depredation via key-informant surveys, and analysing snow leopard diets and densities through genetic methods, we discovered that higher wild prey abundance directly increased snow leopard populations. We also predicted that livestock predation by snow leopards would increase and then stabilise with an increase in wild prey (apparent competition). While this underscores the importance of wild prey for snow leopard conservation, it also highlights a challenge: even with abundant wild prey, snow leopards continue to prey on livestock.

Fast forward to 2024, we examined these dynamics over time using a long-term dataset collected annually over 13 years from the Trans-Himalayan region of Spiti, India.  This included wild prey (blue sheep and ibex) density estimated using double observer surveys and snow leopard density using Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR) camera trap data. We also calculated livestock density and predation rate through census by surveying local key informants. Our findings revealed that while an increase in wild ungulates led to a rise in snow leopard populations, it also resulted in higher livestock predation rate, particularly of free-ranging animals. This indicates apparent competition between wild ungulates and domestic livestock mediated by snow leopards. This increase in livestock predation exacerbates economic losses for herders, which can escalate the risk of retaliatory killings.

To address these challenges, we recommend combining focused conservation efforts with practical, locally tailored solutions. Enhancing wild prey populations should be coupled with effective livestock protection measures and fair compensation strategies. Such comprehensive approaches will help mitigate economic losses for herders and foster harmonious coexistence between pastoral communities and snow leopards across High Asia.