Domesticating Wildness: Snow Leopard Tourism and Evolving Multispecies Relationships in the Indian Himalayas
Date and Time
Location
This event will be hosted on Zoom. Please register to receive event link. Event link will be sent to attendees 2 days before the event.
Details
Karine Gagné
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph
Wednesday, 7 May 2025 l l 10.30-11.30a.m. ET l 8:00-9:00p.m. IST
How does snow leopard tourism reshape multispecies relationships? In the Indian Himalayas, this tourism has gained traction, attracting visitors eager to see the elusive snow leopard. This growth is tied to changing relationships between local communities and the endangered animal, which has become a stable source of income. As the local agro-pastoral economy declines, residents are increasingly viewing the snow leopard as an object of interest rather than a nuisance. This presentation draws on interspecies mutuality scholarship to explore how the success of this niche tourism extends beyond financial incentives. It examines evolving multispecies relationships, from developing expertise in spotting the animal to the emotions generated by these encounters
Moderator:
Faisal Moola
Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Masters of Conservation Leadership Program (MCL)
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics
University of Guelph
Presented by: Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)