Jonny’s final quest to find snow leopards

Jonny Hanson, 26, is studying attitudes towards snow leopards among Nepalese villagers, and has braved tough terrain and bone-chilling temperatures in his efforts to gather opinions for his PhD research.

He has seen swooping valleys, ice-capped peaks and resilient villagers on his travels, but has never actually managed to spot a snow leopard itself – only their tracks and the bodies of their prey.

Although his research is really about human attitudes towards the endangered creatures, Jonny said that it would be a real “bonus” if he can finally glimpse one. Because this latest trip is to the remotest area so far in his research, it is his best chance yet.

He said: “They are, I suppose, the iconic big cat of the mountains; maybe the iconic animal of the mountains.

“The animal itself is quite endangered. There are about 4,000 to 6,000 across 12 central Asian countries. At 40-70 kg, they’re not the biggest big cat, but they’re incredibly powerful. They can catch animals up to four times their own weight.

“We’ve found paw prints, and found an old sheep killed by a snow leopard. But as to an actual snow leopard, we haven’t seen it. We don’t expect to, but if we do see one it’s a bonus.”

Mr Hanson is looking at the effects that factors such as increased tourism have on people’s attitudes towards the animals, and how opinions differ from generation to generation, and region to region.

Mr Hanson was born in Lisburn, the son of a Presbyterian minister who took him to live in Malawi when he was a child – something which helped spur his interest in the wild.

“Having that experience was crucially important – that love of nature. You went from watching it on David Attenborough to seeing it in real life,” he said. “This is our best chance of seeing a snow leopard,” he said. “So fingers crossed.”