The notoriously elusive snow leopard, commonly known as the “ghost of the mountains,” lives on the snow-covered summits of the Himalayas. A photograph of a group of snow leopards in the Ladakh region has now caught the eye of the internet due to how rarely they are spotted and recorded on camera.
A stunning video of a snow leopard bolting in a brutal pursuit and pinning down its prey was uploaded by ‘The Wild India’ on 15th March, and Parveen Kaswan, an Indian Forest Service officer, reposted it. “What a brilliant hunter”, he commented when sharing the footage.
Ghost of the mountains. Most Agile hunters. Snow leopard hunting near Ullay a Shyapu Ladakh Urial on 13th March. Sharing as received. pic.twitter.com/XginjJNOSS
— The Wild India (@the_wildindia) March 15, 2023
The video has garnered around 305k views and around 2.6k likes. The snow leopard lives in steep, rocky mountain environments and is sparsely distributed over 12 nations in central Asia, according to the WWF website. The high-altitude, mountain ranges of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh are where snow leopards are most frequently spotted in India.
The magnificent snow leopard is a proficient hunter, capable of taking down a game up to three times its own weight in difficult terrain. Poaching for their beautiful skin, hard bones, and other body parts has put these unique animal species in grave danger.
The video received several comments from users such as, “Whatta catch”, “Hell of an arena for hunting”, and “Photographer is more brilliant.”
A recent video from Himachal Pradesh of two snow leopard kittens returning with their mother after hearing her call also went popular on social media. The little ones were observed running briskly in their direction while the large cat lay down behind a boulder. The mother smelt and licked them lovingly as they drew near.