MUSTANG: At least 27 Himalayan goats died after a leap of snow leopards attacked a flock of Himalyan goats at Tetang village of Chhusang VDC-5 in upper Mustang.

Chief of Lho Manthang Office of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Santosh Sherchan said that the snow leopards killed 27 Himalayan goats and injured two others after entering a barn of a local farmer Ram Bahadur Gurung on Saturday night. After the death of such large number of goats, farmer Gurung suffered a huge loss. As a campaign to conserve such leopards came into effect some four years ago, number of the beast has increased in the upper Mustang. Sherchan said that the with the rise in their number, they enter the villages to hunt as they lack preys in the jungle. Earlier in September, the snow leopards had entered into the village and killed over 100 Himalayan goats of a local farmer Pemachheten Gurung at Marang village in Charang VDC. ACAP Chief Sherchan said that the farmers would not have to bear losses from the snow leopards after the solar lights are installed at the animal sheds. “We are organising many awareness raising programmes for the same targetting the locals,” he added.