Abstract: The snow leopard(Uncia uncia) is a very rare species in China.The survey of traces of snow leopard in Kunlun,Altay and Tianshan is the main step of the "Project of Snow Leopard in Xinjiang" supported by the International Snow Leopard Trust(SLT) and the Xinjiang Conservation Fund(XCF).During the field survey from 2004 to 2010,the Xinjiang Snow Leopard Group(XSLG) spent about 270 days in over 20 different places,covering over 150 transects totaling nearly 190 km,and found 1-3 traces per kilometer.The traces of snow leopard recorded include dung,odor,chains of footprints,scraping,paw nail marks,lying mark,fur,urine,bloodstain,leftover of prey corpse,roaring and others.Based on tracerima analyses,the XSLG got to know primarily scopes of the domains,distribution and relative density of the snow leopard in these areas.Then the group began to take infrared photos,conducted survey of food sources of the leopards,investigated fur market and paths of trading,and cases of killing,and carry out civil survey through questionnaire,non-government organization community service and research on conflicts between grazing and wildlife protection.A total of 36 infrared cameras were laid out,working a total of about 2 094 days or 50 256 hours.A total 71 rolls of film were collected and developed,including 32 clear pictures of snow leopards,thus making up a shooting rate or capture rate of 1.53%.It was ascertained that in Tomur Peak area,there were 5-8 snow leopards roaming within a range of 250 km²,forming a population density of 2.0-3.2 per 100 km².After comparing the various monitoring results,the advantages and limitations of different monitoring methods have been discussed.

Key words: Uncia uncia, snow leopard, monitoring method, trace, infrared camera, relative intensity