The white skinned leopards of the high altitude have for centuries lived a nomadic and isolated life in the snow peaked mountains of Central Asia. Born shy, no one knows for certain how many of the snow leopards today live in the wild, but that their numbers is diminishing is a given, looking at the conditions of the modern world. In order to make sure that the species can be genetically bred and preserved from extinction; scientists have now created for the very first time stem cells from the ear tissue of a snow leopard.