Snow leopards effortlessly blend into Himalayan landscape. How many do you spot?
Camouflaged and camera-shy, snow leopards usually roam the Himalayas without detection. Several of these elusive cats were spotted on trail cameras, but blink and you might still miss them.
The elusive snow leopards were seen several times in Kishtwar National Park and confirmed the wildcat’s presence in the area, India’s Department of Wildlife Protection in Jammu and Kashmir said in a May 17 news release.
Photos show the gray animals. One photo shows a trio of snow leopards next to some untouched snow. One wildcat is in the center walking away from the camera. The other two appear to be crouching among the rocks on the lower right corner of the photo.
One photo shows a single leopard walking toward the camera. Its body blends in with the gray-brown ground, but its shadow is clearly visible across the snow.
“The camera trap images showcase the remarkable adaptability of this elusive species, well-suited to thrive in the challenging high altitude environment of Kishtwar National Park,” wildlife official Arun Gupta told India Times.
Another photo shows a pair of snow leopards. One wildcat is walking near the center of the frame while the other is sitting along the upper right corner, its tail and back side visible.
A solitary sub-adult snow leopard was also seen roaming through the area, photos show and wildlife officials told India Times.
The trail camera photos were taken in November, December and February. Officials did not specify if the photos captured several of the same leopards multiple times.
Suresh Kumar Gupta told Hindustan Times that the recent sighting “reinforces the importance of protected areas in safeguarding endangered species and underscores the need for collaborative initiatives.”
The elusive snow leopard is “one of the most mysterious cats in the world,” according to the World Wildlife Fund in India. The species is considered vulnerable and threatened.
Only about 400 to 700 snow leopards remain in the wild in India, the organization said. However, these population numbers are only estimates because the stealthy cat is “very rarely seen by humans.”
A mother “ghost of the mountains” and her two energetic cubs were filmed playing in another northern Indian region in March.
Kishtwar National Park is about 350 miles northwest of New Delhi. The Himalayan park is in the Jammu and Kashmir region. This region is controlled by India but remains a disputed area among India, Pakistan and China, according to Britannica.
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