The King of the Snow Mountains Spotted in Xinjiang Hot Springs

CCTV News: On March 1st, in Bortala Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, Wenquan County, public venues captured the activity images of the national level protected animal, the snow leopard, for the first time.

At around 3:30 p.m. on March 1st, police officers from Wenquan County Public Security Bureau discovered suspected snow leopard activity traces in the Etokeixuer Valley, which is at an altitude of 3000 meters. Simultaneously, through videos from nearby public venues, it was confirmed that the footage captured was of a snow leopard. The video showed that this adult snow leopard was about 1.5 meters long and had irregular black spots on its body. It was often seen jumping and leaping between steep river valley rocks, and sometimes looking around cautiously. According to police, with the increased efforts of environmental protection in Bortala Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang in recent years, the number of wild animals in the area has been increasing. The snow leopard, known as 'the king of the snow mountains', generally moves in areas above 3000 meters in altitude during the summer and autumn, and in the winter and spring, it frequently moves in areas at lower altitudes to hunt prey.

Deputy Director of Wenquan County Public Security Bureau, Wang Tao: 'We discovered the snow leopard's location, the straight-line distance to the nearest village is approximately 50 kilometers. During this time, we will arrange police officers to patrol the surrounding villages and mountains to prevent the snow leopard from entering, protect the lives and property of the people, and at the same time, we will educate local residents about wild animals. If we find any wild animals, we must promptly contact the Public Security Bureau.'