The rare and beautiful snow leopard has been hunted almost to the point of extinction and now only populates remote parts of the Himalayas. It's hard to know exactly how many are left in the wild, but current estimates are in the region of 2500-6000 mature adult individuals.
While the snow leopard has no natural predators, hunting for their exquisite pelts and persecution by local farmers continues despite protection by international law.
The increasing rarity of its natural prey — which ranges from mice and marmots through to deer, wild sheep and boar — has driven this solitary animal closer and closer to human settlement, where it occasionally attacks livestock. The reaction of local farmers varies; though most action is hostile, some have been known to trap the animal and then later release it (CNN).