The fourth Jomolhari Mountain Festival, held October 24-25, 2016, was the stage for our successful launch of two new conservation awareness tools: a snow leopard activity chest and a snow leopard mascot, Gangzi. This was part of the snow leopard conservation initiative in collaboration with the Jigme Dorji National Park. The goal is for the chest and Gangzi to help teach the children of communities who share the same environment with the snow leopards about environmental conservation. The snow leopard chest includes educational materials, such as an activity book, posters, and a board game, to help raise awareness about the snow leopard. Gangzi was created in honor of Snow Leopard Day 2016 and will serve as a member of the community in advocating for environmental and conservation issues.
The Foundation also created five traditional Bhutanese masks made in the images of snow leopards and blue sheep for the Jomolhari School students to use as a part of their annual snow-leopard–themed play. The Jomolhari Mountain Festival was supported by the Tourism Council of Bhutan and the Bhutan Foundation.
