A snow leopard was recently spotted in Himachal.
Also known as the ghost of the mountains, snow leopards are famously elusive animals. Rarely spotted and hardly photographed as they are, a snow leopard sighting in Himachal Pradesh has left the Internet awestruck.
Indian Forest Services officer Susanta Nanda took to Twitter on Monday to share a video of the sighting. Filmed at Hikkim village in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti district, the video shows a snow leopard walking down a snow-covered road, close to a tourist vehicle.
"Snow leopard is the most beautiful and mystical big cats with grey/green eyes, unlike the yellow eyes of other big cats," wrote Mr Nanda while sharing the video. He added that these striking big cats have tails as long as their bodies and five inches of fur to protect them from the cold. "Rare to see these ghost of the mountains."
The video he shared has been viewed more than 17,000 times on the microblogging platform. In the comments section, some have wondered what made the snow leopard stray so close to humans, while others have commented on its magnificence.
According to the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, these endangered big cats are found in the higher reaches of the Himalayas. Due to their elusive nature and the inaccessibility of their habitat, snow leopards remain one of the least studied large cats in the world.
While they are found in 12 countries around the world, India is believed to have a population of 200 to 600 snow leopards across the western Himalayas. Snow leopards, like most cats, are solitary animals who are rarely spotted together.
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