Injured snow leopard cub which won hearts of netizens enters final phase of treatment

An adorable snow leopard cub which remarkably bounced back from the brink of death has now entered the final phase of its treatment in northwest China's Qinghai Province after making an incredible recovery.

The cub's story of resilience has been a hot topic online in recent months as footage of its timely rescue, dedicated medical care, and rehabilitation have captured the hearts the netizens across the country, garnering over 150 million views on social media by mid summer.

The fragile young snow leopard had been found seriously injured and in a critical condition back in March, with a wildlife rescue and breeding center in Qinghai receiving the then six-month-old cub from the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and working to save its young life.

Carers gave it the name Ling Xiaozhe -- with Ling bearing the meaning of overcoming difficulties, Zhe being a reference to the solar term of the time period when it was rescued, and Xiao, meaning little and relating to its small stature, with the cub then weighing less than 10 kilograms -- far below the healthy range for its age.

Veterinarians suspected that it had fallen from height, leaving it immobilized and starving before being discovered. It was found severely malnourished, with a fractured spine, severe inflammation and critically low body temperature, barely clinging to life.

However, after months of tender treatment which saw carers sustaining its life, restoring its basic physical functions, and establishing its immune system, little Ling has now entered the fourth and final phase of its treatment, which focuses on restoring its mobility as part of the wider assessment of its overall recovery.

Ling is now living at a zoo in Xining City of Qinghai, drawing crowds of visitors who are keen to catch a glimpse of this brave young cub, who seems equally curious to see and play with them from through the glass screen of his enclosure.

"I came all the way from Beijing, and today back I'm visiting the zoo for a second time. I've been closely following Ling Xiaozhe's story, which touched me deeply," said a visitor named Wu Fan.

The snow leopard is under top-level national protection in China and is primarily found in regions such as Qinghai, Xizang, Gansu, Sichuan and Xinjiang. The latest data indicates that its population is steadily growing across the country, with over 1,200 individuals now being monitored.

Injured snow leopard cub which won hearts of netizens enters final phase of treatment

Injured snow leopard cub which won hearts of netizens enters final phase of treatment

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. military had used as many as 155 warplanes to rescue the second airman in Iran and was forced to destroy some cargo planes that got stuck to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.

"We blew up the old planes," Trump told a press conference at the White House while focusing on details of the rescue.

The warplanes reportedly contained communications equipment and anti-missile technology that the Pentagon did not want Iran to seize.

The search-and-rescue mission was then removed by "faster, lighter planes," Trump said.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine told reporters that the U.S. A-10 Warthog downed on Friday was conducting a "sandy" mission -- positioning itself between the rescue force and enemy fire.

The aircraft was hit multiple times by Iranian fire, but the pilot managed to fly it out of Iran before ejecting over friendly territory, Caine said.

Trump says U.S. used 155 warplanes to rescue airman in Iran