Rare snow leopards caught on camera in Tibet reserve for the first time

Wild snow leopards have been photographed for the first time in a Tibetan reserve, conservation officials said on Wednesday, offering hope that the endangered species can survive.

The leopards, which are rarer than giant pandas in China and listed as “endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were snapped 27 times between May and September by more than 40 cameras installed at the Mount Qomolangma National Nature Reserve in the Tibet autonomous region. Qomolangma is the Tibetan name for Mount Everest.

IUCN estimates that there are fewer than 6,500 snow leopards worldwide, mainly in China and Mongolia, though this estimate is outdated and the real figure may be significantly lower. The animals usually live at altitudes between 3,000 metres and 5,000 metres.

The snow leopard’s habitat and hunting area has been significantly diminished by human encroachment. Despite the highest level of protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), leopards are often killed by poachers and their pelts and bones sold to fur traders and Chinese medicine practitioners.