The organisation also asserts that concerted conservation efforts around the globe have improved the outlook for the snow leopard, which is under threat from poaching and habitat loss due to climate change and human settlement expansion. "The species still faces 'a high risk of extinction in the wild' and is likely still declining - just not at the rate previously thought," said Tom McCarthy, head of the snow leopard program at the big cat conservation group Panthera. The endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is found in the rugged mountains of Central Asia, according to the Snow Leopard Trust. The reclassification announced Thursday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, followed a three-year assessment during which experts determined the Himalayan cats no longer numbered fewer than 2,500 in the wild, and was not in steep decline — the two criteria for being considered “endangered.”

Using improved methods for counting cat numbers, experts now estimate there are about 4,000 snow leopards in the wild. Image: Although no longer endangered, the snow leopard is still described as 'vulnerable'

Because of the remoteness and vastness of their Himalayan habitat, covering 12 countries in Asia, scientists have only managed to survey a small part of the area they call home. Snow leopard taken off endangered list - but still 'vulnerable'

Snow leopard taken off endangered list - but still 'vulnerable'

The snow leopard is no longer considered an endangered species, according to conservationists.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature upgrades the conservation status of the snow leopard from endangered to vulnerable.