<P> The cubs leave the den when they are around two to four months of age, but remain with their mother until they become independent after around 18--22 months . Once independent, they may disperse over considerable distances, even crossing wide expanses of flat terrain to seek out new hunting grounds . This likely helps reduce the inbreeding that would otherwise be common in their relatively isolated environments . Snow leopards become sexually mature at two to three years, and normally live for 15--18 years, although in captivity they can live for up to 25 years . </P> <P> Numerous agencies are working to conserve the snow leopard and its threatened mountain ecosystems . These include the Snow Leopard Trust, the Snow Leopard Conservancy, the Snow Leopard Network, the Cat Specialist Group, and the Panthera Corporation . </P> <P> These groups and various national governments from the snow leopard's range, nonprofits, and donors from around the world worked together at the 10th International Snow Leopard Conference in Beijing . Their focus on research, community programs in snow leopard regions, and education programs are aimed at understanding the cat's needs, as well as the needs of the villagers and herder communities juxtaposed with the snow leopards' habitats . </P> <P> In 2013, government leaders and officials from all 12 countries encompassing the snow leopard's range (Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) came together at the Global Snow Leopard Forum (GSLF) initiated by the President Almazbek Atambayev of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the State Agency on Environmental Protection and Forestry under the government of the Kyrgyz Republic . The meeting was held in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, and all countries agreed that the snow leopard and the high mountain habitat it lives in need trans - boundary support to ensure a viable future for snow leopard populations, as well as to safeguard their fragile environment . The event brought together many partners, including NGOs like the Snow Leopard Conservancy, the Snow Leopard Trust, and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union . Also supporting the initiative were the Snow Leopard Network, the World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Wild Fund for Nature, the United States Agency for International Development, and Global Environment Facility . </P>

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