courtesy of Sakhawat Ali
Today’s good news is from the Good News Network.
Rare Sighting of Four Snow Leopards Together Sparks Frenzy of Excitement – (WATCH)
In the remote mountains of northern Pakistan, four majestic snow leopards have been recorded recently moving through the snow-covered hills in a piece of footage that has ignited a flurry of excitement among conservationists.
These animals are seldom seen alone, much less in a group, and it’s being considered a sign of success for Pakistan’s conservation efforts in the animal’s habitat.
“For the past 15 days, I had been noticing leopard pawmarks. While I was on the roof of my house, I used binoculars to observe the mountains and spotted a female snow leopard along with her four cubs,” the photographer Sakhawat Ali told GNN.
“As a wildlife lover, I was extremely happy to see the snow leopards. I quickly moved closer and filmed them from a distance of about 150 meters.”
Ali lives in the remote village of Hushe and is also a gamekeeper at the Central Karakorum National Park in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, where the sighting was made. Snow leopards thrive here; their coats allow them to blend into the snowy mountains and remain undetected by their prey species.
That a female could have three large and healthy cubs is a sign that as much as the snow leopard population is doing well, prey populations of Siberian ibex, argali, roe deer, and Thorvold’s deer must also be thriving.
Still, the snow leopard is considered vulnerable by the IUCN Red List because of its susceptibility to habitat loss and fragmentation across the mountain ranges in which it lives.
Pakistan, and indeed all 12 of the snow leopard range countries, have made great strides in halting and reversing snow leopard declines over the last twenty years. CNN reported that local villagers celebrated Ali’s footage, even though snow leopards sometimes kill livestock.
Dr. Zakir Hussain, the Chief Conservator of Parks and Wildlife for Gilgit-Baltistan, told CNN that 80% of the region’s communities are engaged in the tracking, monitoring, and reporting snow leopard populations on a citizen science basis.
The snow leopard can be found in Russia, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, which together make up the Global Snow Leopard Forum, an international platform for coordinating and sharing conservation strategies to protect this borderless wanderer between state wildlife and environment ministries and NGOs like the Snow Leopard Trust.
WATCH them move across a snowy landscape…
The good news here is that conservation efforts are showing results. Today’s JohnKu talks about conservation. I hope you have a super weekend.
Preservation by John W. Howell © 2025
Saving animals,
Is a step to save ourselves . . .
We all should do it.
Fiction Favorites 
That is exciting!
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I agree. It is always heartwarming to see animals thrive. Thanks, Deborah
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What a unique sighting.
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Very unique. Thanks, Craig.
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How amazing! It gives us hope.
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Lots of hope. Thanks, Darlene.
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Snow leopards?!! I adore these animals and this is such Good News!! Thanks, John!
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I agree, GP. It is so good to see progress in animals that have problems adapting to human incursions.
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Cool. Even better that they saw cubs. Means a successful breeding population.
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It is cool. Thanks, Charles
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Wonderful news, John. Little by little, and against all odds, we’re making progress. YAY! BTW, a mountain lion youngster crossed the road I was driving on – through a mountainous area. It was beautiful — but I was ever so glad to be in the car.
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What an incredible sighting, Gwen. To see a mountain lion is a blessing for sure. Thanks for sharing that story today. 😀
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A great post, John. Thanks for sharing 💝
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Always glad to see a story about animals making progress in their survival.
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Dear John
I only know the snow leopard from Peter Matthiessen’s brilliant book ‘The Snow Leopard’. Great to hear that these animals are recovering.
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you, Klausbernd. Wishing the F4oC a peaceful weekend.
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This is wonderful good news, John. It warms my heart to see people working to preserve nature, and those snow leopards are beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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I agree, Tim. It is so good to see these leopards thrive. Thanks. 😊
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What a wonderful bit of good news, John. And your JohnKu is the exclamation point needed. True words.
Happy Friday!
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Thank you, Dale. It is good news for sure.
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😊
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This is uplifting! And your Haiku says it all, John. Thank you for sharing and happy Friday!
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Thank you, Jan. Happy Friday to you. 😀
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Better than good, this is great news!
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It is great news, Monika. Thank you. 😊
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Those leopards are magnificent animals! I love your JohnKu.
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Thank you, Liz. 😊
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Just looking at your photo, I knew it was cats but did not realize they were big cats! This is wonderful!
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Yes, it is, Lois. Some excellent news about those Leopards. Thank you. 😊
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What a lovely site to see. It’s so amazing seeing the trudge through the snow! 💓
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I think they are feeling right at home. Thank you, Cindy.
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Fantastic, John. These are gorgeous cats! What an exciting observation!
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I agree, Noelle. They should be protected so they can thrive. Thank you.
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Wonderful News, indeed. John.
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Thank you, Pat
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You are welcome, John.
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I caught this story on TV news and found it encouraging. While I’m not a “cat-person,” I do find it hopeful that a species like the snow leopard hasn’t completely died out. Thanks for passing along this good news!
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It is encouraging, Debbie. Thanks for the comment.
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It’s so uplifting when you see something like that. Certainly gives us hope. Thank you for the good news story, John.
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It is uplifting, for sure. Thank you, Esther.
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The 2nd Big Cat sighting I have heard about in one week. The other one is right here in the U.P. of Michigan where they spotted 2 Cougar Cubs! (first time in over 100 years) So, how cool is ALL this!!
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This is all very cool, Annette. 😊
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Years ago I read The Snow Leopard, a non-fiction book by Peter Matthiessen. It’s a good one.
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Another [person recommended that book as well. Thanks, Neil.
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Yay for snow leopards and for people stepping up to make sure we don’t lose them and other endangered species. Thanks for sharing this, John:)
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I so agree, Denise. Thank you.
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Excellent news! 😃
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Yes, it is. Thanks, Journey.
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How wonderful, John. This makes me happy. I’m glad the conservation efforts are so successful for these beautiful animals.
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I agree with you and am glad, too. Thanks, Diana.
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Firstly, it’s great to have you back John.
As for this story, you’re the man on Fridays, tell you what. When all else seems to be failing us in terms of the news we use, you go and find the diamonds in that rough sea. Every single time. Never fails.
These creatures are so beautiful and deserve to be protected so big kudos to all of those who are doing just that. Because you’re right, it’s about everyone.
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That is great news John… thanks for sharing..hugsx
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That is exciting! Thank you for sharing. 🙏🏻
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I love these kinds of stories, Michele. Thanks for the visit and kind words.
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😊
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😊
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I think we should always look for ways to balance the protection of the environment with new development.
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We should, but unfortunately, it costs money and thereby lies the execution
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This is great news. Love your JohnKu.
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Thank you so much, Jennie. 😊
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Exactly!
The JohnKu is exact.
I’d like to add that embracing a more plant based diet and NOT eat meats from factory farms will go a long way to that avail.
We can’t save animals without due respects. Not eating them is a respectful choice many can make.
🐯🐆 🦁🐆
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You have chosen the path of an angel, Resa. 😊X 😊X
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Lol…
Well … it’s just that I love animals. Maybe I’m an animal angel?
👼🦅 👼🦓 👼🐖 👼🐂
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That could well be. 🍎X 🥝X 🍓X 🍊X
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Yayaay!
🍎X 🥝X 🍓X 🍊X
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😀X 😊X
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🏆🏆
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YAY.
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Could be signs of breeding. 🙂
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Yes indeed. 😊
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