Snow Leopard Sisters

Bluesky

“The first time I saw a snow leopard, I fell in love,” recalls Tshiring Lhamu Lama, as she navigates narrow rocky ledges around some of the world’s tallest mountains. “You can only find the snow leopards in the most beautiful and difficult places.”

Tshiring has worked as a snow leopard conservationist in the Himalayan region of Dolpo, Nepal, for ten years. In that time she has seen the population of these beautiful animals drop down to just 90. Traditionally, they were seen as the guardians of the mountains, keeping everything else in balance – a view very close to that of many biologists concerned about the ecological impacts of the loss of large predators. They were considered essential to preserving the sacred values of the mountain communities. Now, however, they are seen primarily as a threat to the livelihood of herders. Tshiring calls it a war.

When she hears about a particularly extreme incident – a snow leopard broke into a corral at night and killed 45 goats, representing a family’s entire life savings – she realises that the said family will very likely kill the animal responsible. Desperate to prevent that, she suggests to them that she take on their eldest daughter, Tenzin Bhuti Gurung, as her apprentice, thinking that if she can make the girl her ally, there might be a chance to do things differently. It’s not an easy arrangement to make. Tenzin’s father, who has wound up in prison, is anxious for her to marry her cousin so that there will be a man in the household, easing the family’s shame. The cousin is notorious for his temper, and Tenzin, who still has a photograph on the wall of herself in the uniform she wore during her few short years at school, fears that she will never be happy again. Can a 15 day journey through the mountains really make a difference to this?

Screened as part of South by Southwest 2025, this documentary, directed by Ben Ayers, Sonam Choekyi Lama and Andrew Lynch, follows the two women on their journey, observing them as Tenzin acquires tracking skills (younger snow leopards smell worse than older ones, apparently) and takes the opportunity to learn English. They meet two monks with very different views about the snow leopards, and an elderly woman who tells them that they have magical powers and can hide behind a blade of grass. Most of the herders are women. This means that they are not listened to when they ask the National Park fror help in dealing with the animals, so they have to find their own solutions.

The circumstances of women are central to the film. We learn about Tshiring’s own background and the difference it made to have parents who were determined that she should get an education; we learn about the discriminatory laws and traditions which made that all the more important. Tshiring, who also narrates, strongly believes in creating opportunities for women, though only within the bounds of a social framework in which parents are the ultimate decision-makers for their children. She’s well aware of the difficulties of going it alone, having to take her toddler, Sontse, with her even on the most difficult treks. We watch him grow from a helpless little thing into an infant who moves with the confidence of a baby goat.

As she learns, Tenzin realises that she is going to have to have a difficult conversation with her father. She has recently lost a sister, and the bond she forms with Tshiring feels like something similar, changing her perspective on life. The leopards themselves are elusive, though signs of their presence frequently appear. Tenzin discovers that she wants to save them. Can they save her?

With clear Himalayan light, everything about this film looks beautiful, but you will have to be sharp to spot the animals who effortlessly merge with rock and snow.

If you would like to support Tshiring and Tenzin's work and help snow leopards, you can donate to Snow Leopard Conservancy.