There are very rare moments when a photographer is able to capture a close-up of a snow leopard, one of the most elusive big cats. But a video shared by Indian Forest Office (IFS) Susanta Nanda is making a splash on social media due to this reason. The 44-second video shows a snow leopard in its natural habitat, relaxing and posing for photos. The IFS officer has credited the clip to World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since being posted on Wednesday, it has been viewed more than 26,000 times and received over 2,300 likes.
"The elusive snow leopard during snow fall... At Karakoram Range," the IFS officer said in his tweet.
The attached video starts with an extreme close-up of the big cat where it is seen relaxing atop a rock. The clip also has a top shot that shows the full view of the snow leopard.
After some time, as the video progresses, the animal is also seen growling and getting in attack stance.
The clip has amazed Twitter users, who posted a barrage of comments.
"Anything more gorgeous than him? One of God's wonders!" one user tweeted. "For the first time I found this one looking Royal, detached and Happy at the same time," said another.
"Majestic...elusive yet powerful," a third user commented.
According to WWF website, snow leopards are thinly spread across 12 countries in central Asia, and it's at home in high, rugged mountain landscapes.
The snow leopard has a beautiful, spotted coat, thick enough to insulate them from the cold. Their wide, fur-covered feet distribute their weight over soft snow, like natural snowshoes, the website further said.
It further said that snow leopards are skillful predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight in challenging terrain.
