Also known as the ''ghost of the mountains'', snow leopards are notoriously elusive and live in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. Rarely spotted and hardly photographed as they are, a recent sighting of a snow leopard family in Ladakh has left the internet awestruck. The stunning video shows a snow leopardess and her two cubs exploring the rugged landscapes of Ladakh.
Shared by Ladakh-based wildlife photographer Morup Namgail on Instagram, the captivating clip shows the rare and majestic sight of the cubs traversing a plateau-like terrain, soon joined by their mother for a hunt. The video begins with one cub expertly navigating the rocky terrain, followed by its sibling, and then the elusive snow leopardess appears, completing the family trio.
''After a long break, sharing a magical moment from last winter: a mother snow leopard and her two cubs navigating towards their kill. The whole past winter was nothing short of magical moments like this, we were honoured to have hosted amazing guests from around the globe. Being able to share such spectacular experiences with our cherished clients is what we are looking forward to in the following years,'' the video was captioned by Mr Namgail.
Watch the video here:
Internet users were left mesmerized to see the beautiful clip. One user wrote, ''Beautiful animals and a privilege to see them, but please don't say wait for it, because that implies a dramatic ending.''
Another commented, ''These snow leopards are so endangered that one is lucky to see one in a lifetime let alone three.''
A third said, ''How amazing! Such beautiful snow leopards! What a sighting.'' A fourth commented, ''They are just the most amazing and gorgeous cats.''
According to the WWF website, snow leopards are thinly spread across 12 countries in central Asia, and it's at home in high, rugged mountain landscapes. In India, snow leopards are mostly found in the high-altitude, mountainous terrains of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Snow leopards are solitary creatures, and skillful predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight in challenging terrain. They are rare species of wildlife that are highly threatened due to poaching for their skin, bones, and other body parts.
