Granta Publications The Ghost of the Mountains

Silent, solitary and beautiful: snow leopards inhabit the cliffs and rugged mountains of central Asia at heights of over 3,000 metres. Thickly furred, with silver-grey pelts, they are so well camouflaged that they vanish against the rocks and the cliffs and remain one of the world's most mysterious predators. The biologist and scientist Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi - Kullu for short - has spent sixteen years studying these elusive creatures in the wild, leading new research into their daily challenges, habitats and prey. Living for months at a time in some of the most difficult to reach places on earth, including Himalayan villages cut off from the world by the winter snow and the Gobi Desert, Kullu has developed new research that shows how entangled the lives of the snow leopard are with those inhabiting the high places, and has been central to the work in estimating just how many snow leopards remain in the wild. Combining expert authority, groundbreaking science, a journey of discovery and storytelling of the highest order that leads us into the mountainous high places of the world, The Ghost of the Mountains is a unique opportunity to see the world through the eyes of one of the world's most charismatic and vulnerable animals. ...