Preliminary findings of dna testing and gps positioning of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) Genetic material in the khunjerab national park (KNP), Northern areas, Pakistan

The Snow Leopard is a rare and elusive animal, consequently the number and distribution of individuals in a set area cannot be reliably determined by sighting or invasive sampling methods. Non-invasive sampling has been used by other researchers to estimate the population density of several different carnivore species. The main aim of this study was to trial a method of noninvasive DNA sampling that would enable investigators to identify and locate individual animals of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in the Khunjerab National Park, and to generate a GPS based map showing the location of samples. Of overall 28 samples that were processed for PCR only 24 could be amplified using species- specific DNA markers. The PCR success rate was 85.71%. Of these 24 amplified samples, we obtained 2 different banding patterns, which indicate their origin from two different individuals. Sample locations were determined by GPS positioning, and recorded on existing maps of the valley. The study showed that at least one individual was present in the surveyed area and preliminary findings indicate that there may be two individuals in Karchnai. For future surveys the difficulties experienced in the storage transportation and handling of the samples, will be addressed to gain high quality results. We suggest that further studies could be undertaken to determine the suitable time period to carry out field surveys.