In celebration of International Snow Leopard Day, photographer Luo Xiaoyun shares his photos and experiences of getting up close with a snow leopard in China, providing a rare glimpse into the lives of these elusive and charismatic big cats.
“My closest encounter with a snow leopard was just 8 metres away.” Xiaoyun recalls.
“Snow leopards are fierce and agile apex predators, I have personally witnessed them hunting yaks, which are much larger than humans. Now, not one, but two of these creatures were in front of me, so close that I dared not breathe heavily, and my heart pounding.”
“Observing the posture and expressions of these two snow leopards at the scene, they appeared calm, exhibiting neither aggressive nor defensive body language, their eyes serene, even displaying a touch of curiosity and mischief.”
"One might think, given that snow leopards live at high-altitude with constant snow cover, that they must be adapted to camouflage themselves in the snow. However, their light grey base colour with sparse ringed spots, is actually better suited for hiding among the barren rocks of the mountains."
Earlier this month, WWF’s latest Living Planet Report painted a stark picture, revealing a 60% drop in average wildlife populations across snow leopard habitats in Asia and the Pacific in the past 50 years, largely due to threats like climate change.
Around 60% of the world’s snow leopards are found in the western reaches of China, spanning the vast, high-altitude regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Tibet. The remote and rugged nature of their habitat makes studying these elusive big cats a challenge, leaving much about their lives shrouded in mystery.
Only 3% of their global range has been scientifically surveyed – limited data makes conservation efforts difficult. However, citizen scientists such as Xiaoyun are playing a vital role in closing this knowledge gap, offering valuable insights into the snow leopards’ hidden world.
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