Stunning Camera Trap Survey Captures Elusive Snow Leopards Across China

Matt Growcoot
A snow leopard lies on a rocky outcrop covered with patches of grass and orange moss, overlooking misty mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.
This snow leopard was caught on a camera trap in the Zhangye area of Qilian Mountain National Park, China.

A camera trap survey led by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in remote parts of China has shed light on the elusive snow leopard.

The WWF has been sharing stunning photos taken by some of the 160 infrared cameras that monitor alpine areas, including Qilian Mountain National Park — which is home to an estimated 150 snow leopards, as well as Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province.

“Throughout 2025, WWF-China supported 10 snow leopard rangers in this area, contributing to a total of 500 person-days of patrol efforts,” WWF writes on Instagram.

A close-up of a snow leopard taking a selfie with another snow leopard in the snowy, rocky background. The main leopard’s face is prominent, with its paw extended toward the camera.
The camera trap survey provides remarkable glimpses at the world’s rarest feline, such as this selfie-like image of not one but two snow leopards.
A snow leopard stands on a grassy, mountainous slope, looking directly at a camera. Sparse snow patches and rocky terrain are visible in the background.
This camera trap image was captured in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province.
A snow leopard walks along a rocky mountain ridge with rugged, barren mountains and snow-capped peaks visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
A snow leopard traverses the terrain of the Zhangye area of Qilian Mountain National Park

While the survey was very much focused on snow leopards, the camera also captured an impressive array of alpine animals, including lynxes, ibexes, red deer, Sichuan takin, wild dogs, and foxes.

A mountain goat with curved horns stands on rocky terrain, with distant rugged mountains and a blue sky in the background.
An ibex.
A takin, a large goat-antelope with curved horns and shaggy, golden-brown fur, stands in tall grass on a misty hillside surrounded by dense vegetation.
A Sichuan takin.
A large stag with tall antlers stands near a barbed wire fence on dry grassland, with mountains in the background; another stag is visible farther down the fence line.
A red deer.
A Eurasian lynx with thick, light fur and tufted ears walks on rocky terrain under a blue sky, with dry bushes and rugged hills in the background.
A lynx.

A Tibetan fox walks through a snowy landscape with small bushes and trees in the background, captured in a mountainous area.

Digital Camera World reports that WWF’s network of cameras has captured over 600 photos of snow leopards, witnessing 157 different sightings. The passive infrared cameras can function in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit). The data informs researchers about the population of the world’s largest cat, which famously avoids humans.

A snow leopard walks through snowy terrain, its fur dusted with frost. The animal is close to the camera, with icy whiskers and a focused gaze, surrounded by snow and sparse vegetation.
A snow leopard with frosted tips walks past a remote camera in Wolong Nature Reserve. “Luckily, these cats are well adapted for such extreme weather,” WWF writes. “Their thick fur coat insulates them well at the high altitudes they live in – usually between 3,000 and 4,500 meters.”


The WWF’s camera trap survey will shed more light on the snow leopard population, which is notoriously difficult to study. The WWF explains that the apex predator’s habitat range extends across the mountainous regions of 12 countries across Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The total range covers an area of close to 772,204 square miles, with 60% of the habitat found in China. However, more than 70% of snow leopard habitat remains unexplored. Home range sizes can vary from 4.6 to 15.4 square miles in Nepal to over 193 square miles in Mongolia. The population density also has a dramatic range, from less than 0.1 to 10 or more individuals per 38.6 square miles, depending on prey densities and habitat quality.

Image credits: Qilian Mountain National Park Zhangye Branch / Sichuan Wolong NNR Administration / WWF

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