All big cats are rare, but snow leopards are especially so. Listed by the IUCN as endangered and decreasing, estimates of snow leopards’ total population aren’t up to date, but are thought to range somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000. They’re all locked away on broken, steep alpine and sub-alpine terrain, as well as the remote plains, in southern Russia, northern China, Mongolia and Tibet.
That makes the above footage, shot by wildlife photographer Matse Rangja in mountains in Qinghai Province, China, all the more impressive. According to the Guardian (or more likely Reuters, which published the video), this is only the second time Rangja has captured a snow leopard on film eight years of trying. The Guardian also notes that Rangja used an infrared camera, which is misleading; Rangja likely used a camera trap with an infrared trigger, which are commonly used in ecological research, and not an infrared camera, as the footage is clearly in the visible light spectrum.
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Still, enough of the jabbering about camera gear. How amazing is that cat? Snow leopards are burly felines, with stout mountain-climbing legs, big snowshoe paws, and thick coats. But even endangered, 100-pound cats are still cats, which explains the amazingly adorable *boop* at the end. It’s good to see videos like this, as it helps raise sorely-lacking awareness for snow leopards and the troubles they face as their habitats and prey disappear, and as they remain targets of poaching. Inspired to help? The Snow Leopard Trust is a good place to start.
