New Snow Leopard Cubs Captured on Camera

Wildlife Conservation Society and conservation charity Panthera released footage of two snow leopards cubs spotted in the Changtang region of Tibet, China, as the outlook for the species was upgraded.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on September 15 that the conservation status of snow leopards has changed from “endangered” to “vulnerable”. The improved status came after a three-year assessment process by five animal experts.

Dr Tom McCarthy, who runs the Snow Leopard Program at animal charity Panthera, told BBC in a September 14 article that species is still declining, but “just not at the rate previously thought”. The cats were first listed as endangered by the IUCN in 1972, when it was recorded that there were fewer than 2,500 mature snow leopards — scientific name “Panthera uncia” — in the world.

Snow leopards reside in the mountains of central Asia. This footage captured during a survey of the snow leopard population shows three of the creatures hiding behind a tree and playing in the Changtang region of the Tibetan Plateau. Credit: YouTube/Wildlife Conservation Society and Panthera via Storyful