Bibliographical citation: Montgomery, S.; with photographs by Nic Bishop. (2009). Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 74 pages. ISBN: 9780618916450.
Awards: SLJ Best Books for Children (2009).
Author's website: http://symontgomery.com/, http://nicbishop.com/
Annotation: This study focuses on an expedition to the mountains of Mongolia to track the elusive snow leopard. Living in mountainous regions, these extraordinary creatures are difficult to track and sightings are rare. Readers also get a glimpse of Mongolian culture.
Personal Reaction: This beautiful and elusive creature, the snow leopard, lives in the mountains of Central Asia. This particular expedition takes place in Mongolia, and is conducted by Tom McCarthy. Tom McCarthy is the conservation direction of the Snow Leopard Trust. He is studying the snow leopard population and trying to determine if his conservation methods are working. The animal is endangered because it is hunted and because its natural prey has been taken away. When this happens, the snow leopard is forced to hunt and kill livestock, thus being killed and sometimes poisoned by farmers. McCarthy's goal is to try to determine how many snow leopards exist and to educate the people who live in these regions on the importance of preserving this animals. These animals blend in with their environment very easily, so they are called the ghost of the mountain. It is not unusual to live among these creatures your entire life and never once see one.
The snow leopard is very difficult to track, since it involves climbing steep cliffs to find the areas where leopards go. The team spends many hours climbing these cliffs only to be disappointed time and time again. However, there have been occasions where they were successful in encountering a snow leopard. Tom and his team also collect scat for testing to try to learn more about these animals. The snow leopards that Tom has humanely caught have been ear tagged and given a tracking collar so that data can be gathered on their hunting areas, etc. as well as their other habits.
Tom works hard to create relationships with the Mongolian people that he encounters on his trips, and educates them about the importance of protecting these animals even though they sometimes kill livestock. People need to understand that the loss of these animals would affect their ecosystem and impact their way of live. A foundation has been created that Mongolian families can join if they promise not to kill the leopards. This foundation offers to teach the families different skills to create products to sell and make money. As of the publication of this book, 400 families are part of this group.
This expedition includes more than just information on the snow leopard. Author Sy Montgomery explains the history of Genghis Khan, along with his importance and influence on the Mongolian people. Genghis Khan was the first protector of snow leopards. Readers also learn about some of the other animals that are in Mongolia such as camels, hedgehogs, yaks, and goats, and how the Mongolia culture depends upon their animals. Mongolian herders move with their herds by using something called a ger, which is a movable home. Tom and his team utilize gers to follow the leopards and display how they are constructed. There is also information about the weather in the desert and the many dinosaur fossils that have been found in this region.
Beautiful photographs of the animals that the expedition has encountered, gorgeous landscapes, as well as the Mongolian people are included, giving readers a valuable opportunity to learn about this unique culture.
Front/Back Matter: Maps of the expedition region, Tom's Advice to Young Conservationists, The Snow Leopard Trust, Let's Speak Mongolian, Acknowledgements, A Note from the Author, A Note from the Photographer, To Learn More, Index.
*Bibliographical citation information, award information, as well as image retrieved from www.bwibooks.com (Titletales).
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