Qilian Mountain National Park: Two snow leopards "practice" ice and snow skills

At about 22:00 on February 7, the duty personnel of the Dalong Protection Station of the Zhangye Branch of Qilian Mountain National Park to the balcony management and protection station found two national first-class protected wild animals - snow leopards in the video surveillance footage of the fire prevention at the mouth of the dry ditch.

Two snow leopards appeared in the surveillance screen one after the other, only to see them walking freely on the ice-covered road, moving freely, and even playing "skiing" and "skating". The area where the two snow leopards are active is the fire prevention road from the management and protection station to the forest area, and it is less than 1 km from the management and protection station, until the two snow leopards leave one after another after 6 minutes, and the staff is relieved. This is the second time that snow leopards have appeared in groups in areas with frequent human activities after "encountering" snow leopards when snow leopards were found around the management and protection site of the Temple Dalong Conservation Station in October last year and when herders in the jurisdiction were grazing.

The reporter saw from the surveillance footage that the camera monitoring area of the place was a snow-covered icy tabletop, a snow leopard stepped on the snow from a distance, leaving a long series of footprints on the snow, and then observed, detoured, turned back, and carefully passed through the ice and snow table. At the same time, another snow leopard in the distance also stepped on the snow, and the footprints left by the two snow leopards crossing on the snow were clearly visible. After arriving at the ice surface, the two snow leopards slid forward and backward, step by step, through the ice and snow terrace to the mountains and forests.

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The snow leopard is a national first-class protected wild animal and is the flagship species of Qilian Mountain National Park. Because it is often active near the alpine snow line, it is called "snow leopard"; because it is good at rock climbing and mysterious, it is known as the "king of snowy mountains"; because it is at the top of the plateau ecological food chain, it is also known as "the barometer of the health of the high-altitude ecosystem".

In recent years, with the continuous increase of ecological environmental protection in Qilian Mountain National Park, the effect of ecological protection has gradually emerged, the number of wild animal populations has increased significantly, and some rare national first-level protected wild animals such as snow leopards, white-lipped deer, and musk musk have also frequently appeared in people's field of vision.

Wen Tu· Video 丨Benliu News Correspondent Xiao Guodong Mao Zhenheng Sun Xuejing Reporter Cao Yong