Ever tried spotting a snow leopard in the wild? It's called the 'ghost of the mountains' for a reason—you're more likely to see its pawprints than the big cat itself. But every October 23, the species steps into the spotlight on International Day of the Snow Leopard, a day set aside to protect this elusive predator and its rugged home.

Snow leopards roam high-altitude ranges across 12 Asian countries, from Afghanistan to China. Their thick coats and long tails are built for survival in freezing, rocky terrain. Yet even these stealthy cats can't hide from threats like poaching, shrinking habitats, and climate change. With fewer than 7,000 left in the wild, conservation is a necessity. The image of a snow leopard mother sheltering her cubs in the rocky cliffs of the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in India illustrates what's at stake. That's why governments, conservation groups, and local communities team up to safeguard both the animals and their ecosystems. After all, saving snow leopards also protects water sources and biodiversity for millions of people living downstream: they act as keystone species in their alpine environment, maintaining the ecological balance through predation on herbivores. That prevents overgrazing and protects vegetation that helps retain snowmelt and maintain watershed health.