Can YOU spot the snow leopard about to kill a goat? Camouflaged big cat patiently waits to pounce on its prey in the Himalayas

  • Animal was pictured at Ladakh, which is the highest plateau in India
  • Photographer Nirali Mehta, 21, described the scene as 'breathtaking'
  • Snow leopards are among the most elusive animals on the planet 

By Dave Burke For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Perfectly camouflaged as it waits to pounce, a snow leopard can just about be seen surveying its prey.

The big cat was just metres from the long-horned Ibex, which was at ease unaware of the fate which awaited it.

The endangered predator was pictured in the Indian Himalayas.

The big cat was just metres from the long-horned Ibex, which was at ease unaware of the fate which awaited it

The big cat was just metres from the long-horned Ibex, which was at ease unaware of the fate which awaited it

Photographer Nirali Mehta, 21, a student from Mumbai, said: 'It was a breathtaking moment for me. We had travelled from the plains to the elevation of 3,712 metres braving minus degrees to track the snow leopards which are extremely shy animals and are rarely seen.

'We were having tea early morning when a villager came running to us saying he spotted a snow leopard.

'We ran with our cameras and binoculars and hiked up to the one end of the mountain stretch. When we reached, we could only see an Ibex standing all alone.

Photographer Nirali Mehta described the scene as breathtaking after snapping the rare big cat in India

Photographer Nirali Mehta described the scene as breathtaking after snapping the rare big cat in India

The extremely rare snow leopard is hiding amidst the rocks behind the Ibex in India

The extremely rare snow leopard is hiding amidst the rocks behind the Ibex in India

'But soon my eyes caught this majestic beauty with an elongated tail lying callously just meters away from the goat. It had perfectly camouflaged against the mountain terrain.'

And Nirali, who was on an expedition to Ladakh - the highest plateau in India - with three of her friends, continued: 'I could not believe my eyes. I had been on several tiger spotting expeditions before and failed but here I could see this beautiful, shy creature in front of my eyes. I was thrilled, not even once I felt scared of it. I quickly captured the animal in my camera lens.

'We stood there for nearly fifteen minutes admiring its beauty and how calm it was. The leopard then disappeared.'

Nirali and her friends found a semi eaten body of the same Ibex the next morning showing the leopard came back.

THE SNOW LEOPARD: ONE OF THE MOST ELUSIVE CATS ON EARTH

There are only an estimated 2,500 remaining snow leopards

There are only an estimated 2,500 remaining snow leopards

The elegant and well-camouflaged snow leopard is one of the world’s most elusive cats. 

Thinly spread across 12 countries in central Asia, it’s at home in high, rugged mountain landscapes. But poaching and climate change are now threatening its survival.

The snow leopard has a beautiful, spotted coat, thick enough to insulate them from the cold. 

Their wide, fur-covered feet distribute their weight over soft snow, like natural snowshoes.

Snow leopards are solitary creatures, and very successful predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight. 

But poaching and conflict with people have reduced their numbers. They're suspected to have declined by at least 20 per cent in under two decades.

Source: WWF 

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