On December 16, the Batang Forestry and Grassland Bureau in southwest China’s Sichuan Province announced that precious photographic material of snow leopards was captured for the first time in the county. The snow leopard photos released this time were taken in May 2018 and have recently been officially confirmed. Surprisingly, photos of the leopard were also taken in the same area.

Since the spring of 2018, with support from the Sichuan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, the Batang County Forestry and Grassland Bureau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research Institute of Southwest Minzu University have used infrared cameras in the Zhubalong Provincial Nature Reserve and the surrounding areas to carry out wildlife monitoring work.

Experts from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research Institute of Southwest Minzu University believe that it indicates the Batang County has complete habitat and sufficient prey resources for the snow leopard and leopard, with the two large top-level carnivores photographed at the same time.

“With infrared camera monitoring data, we can basically judge that the leopard and snow leopard are densely distributed in Batang County, however their populations need to be further observed,” a staff members with the Batang County Forestry and Grassland Bureau said.

A photographic image of a leopard was captured.