Philomene Verlaan

Tales of the Snow Leopard Philomene Verlaan

"Tales of the Snow Leopard" addresses conservation of snow leopards and traditional communities with a particular focus on Hemis National Park in Ladakh, India. Told largely by Ladakhis themselves, and compiled by Philomene Verlaan in the course of several journeys through the region with her two Ladakhi co-authors, Khenrab Phuntsog and Smanla Tsering, who are the snow leopard rangers for Hemis National Park, the Tales describe contemporary life of Ladakhis and snow leopards in the Park. The purposes of the Tales include: 1) support the conservation of Hemis National Park (in Ladakh, India); 2) contribute information on the natural history of the snow leopard; 3) preserve Ladakhi traditional stories and songs related to the Park that are at risk of being lost; and 4) provide an example for other parks of how their human and non-human populations could approach living together sustainably and peacefully. The Tales begin with an inspiring foreword by Dr. George B. Schaller, one of the most esteemed "Fathers of Conservation", and the world-renowned expert on Himalayan wildlife, especially the endangered snow leopard and its prey. One of Dr. Schaller's Himalayan snow leopard research expeditions inspired Peter Matthiessen's 1978 book "The Snow Leopard", which in turn inspired the Tales. In keeping with their organic nature and spirit, the Tales are illustrated with black-and-white drawings. We are raising funds to have the Tales professionally translated into Ladakhi, so that the people of Ladakh can read their Tales in their own language. Khenrab Phuntsog and Smanla Tsering are two of eight winners of the 2017 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS-India) Earth Heroes Awards: they received the special RBS "Save the Species" Award. They were highly honoured for their tireless dedication to conserving the Snow Leopard, its prey and the ecosystem as a whole, including its human population, centred on Hemis National Park, with particular attention to actively involving the whole local population, from the smallest children to the venerable elders, in this objective. The Tales were also greatly honoured by being chosen as one of the three richest and most inspirational efforts ("Mountain Voices") for inclusion in the 2017 San Miguel Rich List. We invite you to recall the immortal words of His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama: "Nature and wild animals are complementary. People who live among wildlife without harming it are in harmony with the environment. Some of that harmony remains in Tibet, and because we had this in the past, we have some genuine hope for the future. If we make an attempt, we can have all this again." Please support our conservation and education objectives by purchasing the Tales, and by assisting us in making them more widely known. Your comments are warmly welcomed.