A snow leopard, a wild species under China's national first-class protection, was caught with her cub by an infrared camera in the Gahai-Zecha National Nature Reserve in northwest China's Gansu Province.
In the footage collected recently by the nature reserve staff, the two snow leopards are strolling leisurely through the snow in single file. The curious mother approached the camera lens, followed by her cub, estimated to be about one year old, who sniffed at the device.
These are the first such images ever recorded in this conservation area since the reserve initiated snow leopard monitoring in 2018, offering scientists never-before-seen insights into how these endangered cats live and raise their young in this region.
Snow leopards are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In recent years, the Gahai-Zecha National Nature Reserve has intensified efforts in biodiversity conservation. Through measures including optimizing eco-environment monitoring network systems and conducting public awareness campaigns, the reserve has created favorable habitats for snow leopards and their prey, significantly enhancing the stability of its ecosystem.
The latest data from the National Forest and Grassland Administration indicates the sustained growth of China's snow leopard population, with the number of monitored individuals exceeding 1,200.
Rare snow leopards caught on camera in northwest China
Rare snow leopards caught on camera in northwest China
Iran launched a new round of attacks as the United States and Israel continued striking multiple key targets across the country on Saturday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Saturday afternoon it had launched the 49th round of Operation True Promise-4, targeting three U.S. military bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait with heavy missiles and drones.
Earlier that day, Iran launched the 47th and 48th rounds of the operation, striking Israeli sites and U.S. military bases across the region.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday that the U.S. military carried out large-scale strikes on Iran's Kharg Island on Friday, adding that more than 90 military targets on the island were "successfully struck".
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, while oil infrastructures were preserved, according to the CENTCOM statement.
Iran's Mehr News Agency reported Saturday that the situation on Kharg Island had been brought under control, adding that the island’s air defense system was restarted shortly after the strike and that the attackers failed to achieve their intended objectives.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that two senior officials of the Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command, Abdollah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, were killed in an airstrike on Tehran on Friday.
Israel also said that its air force had struck more than 200 infrastructure sites across western and central Iran in the past day, targeting dozens of ballistic missile launchers, including some loaded and ready to fire, as well as air defense systems, launch pads and weapons storage facilities.
Iran launches new attacks as US claims Kharg Island strike, Israel says two Iranian military officials killed
