Nature photography team captures splendid photos of snow leopard on mountainside patrol in NW China’s Qinghai

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A member of a photography team comprised of farmers and herdspeople recently captured photos of a snow leopard after encountering the animal resting on a mountainside during a patrol of the area in Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province.

“Sometimes I can see snow leopards three to four times a week,” said Gonggari, one of the photographers. He is a member of a special photography team from the Sanjiangyuan National Park in Qinghai Province. Half of the 84 members in the team, which has been named the “nature photography team,” are rangers in charge of protecting the ecology of the national park. Since they patrol the mountains every day, they are able to capture precious moments behind the lens of their cameras, recording magnificent views of the Sanjiangyuan area while contributing to efforts to promote ecological protection.

Sanjiangyuan, meaning the “source of three rivers,” is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. In recent years, as the ecological environment in the Sanjiangyuan area has continuously improved, snow leopards, a flagship leopard species of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has been frequently spotted in the Sanjiangyuan National Park. 

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A snow leopard rests on a mountainside in Bagan Township, Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

A group photo of a special photography team comprised of farmers and herdspeople from Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. Half of the 84 members of the team are rangers in charge of protecting the ecology of the Sanjiangyuan National Park in Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)

Photo show a member of a special photography team comprised of farmers and herdspeople from Chumarle county, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. (Photo/Gonggari)