The snow leopard (Panthera uncia syn. Uncia uncia) is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because as of 2003, the size of the global population was estimated at 4,080-6,590 adults, of which fewer than 2,500 individuals may reproduce in the wild.

An Afghan girl makes a pile of unbaked bricks near the road passing through the Shamali Plains, about 10 kilometers (6 miles), west of Bagram, Afghanistan, Wednesay April 9, 2003. Children assist parents in their job to supplement family income. (Photo by Gurinder Osan/AP Photo)

American media personality Paris Hilton and American television personality Nicole Richie at 20th Century Fox Television USA Television TV Classics in 2003. (Photo by Sam Jones/20th Century Fox TV/Kobal/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Actress Michelle Rodriguez attends the Shane Black 9th annual Hallowen party held on October 31, 2003 in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

U.S. soldiers wrestle with South Korean soldiers in a muddy ring during a joint ranger training exercise at a ranger camp near the demilitarised zone (DMZ) June 25 2003 in Paju, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Interior designer Tony Alleyne stands in his «Star Trek» theme studio apartment May 16, 2003 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. The apartment took nearly 10 years to redesign in the style of the «Star Trek» Starship Enterprise on approximately US$1.7 million. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Two drunk race-goers make their way home after the last race of the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing week June 19, 2003 in Ascot, England. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

A beachgoer walks past a buoy that washed ashore after Hurricane Isabel made landfall September 19, 2003 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)