Camera trapping study reveals a large snow leopard population in India's Ladakh territory

Northern India’s elusive snow leopards get their close up

Scientists set up 956 cameras along roughly 3,300 square miles to study these notoriously shy big cats.

Camera trapping study reveals a large snow leopard population in India's Ladakh territory

Most of India's snow leopard population live in a remote region in the north of the country, where they co-exist alongside rural communities, according to a study published in PLOS One by Pankaj Raina at Union Territory of Ladakh's Department of Wildlife Protection, and colleagues.

Nepal's Snow Leopard Population Is Bigger Than Previously Thought, But Still Mysterious

They're known as "ghosts of the mountains" for a reason.

Large tats, long tail, thick fur and a slightly grim facial expression – this snow leopard walked through the Indian Transhimalaya mountains when he was caught by a photo trap. Actually a rather shy predator, the camera caught him running over boulders here. The dotted mountain dweller is one of about 477 snow leopards in the northern Indian Ladakh. Snow leopards live in remote, rugged high mountain regions in Asia. However, due to their shy nat…