Snow Leopard

When I first returned to check the camera trap I was already happy just to see it was still working. It had survived the freezing cold nights including several snow storms high up in the mountains of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas.

I browsed through the photos… mostly pictures of weather… a little mouse hare… a curious snow marten…. false triggers… and then a large shadow. I couldn’t believe my eyes: My first snow leopard. And not just one but two individuals in one night.

Months of preparation had paid off. The weatherproof housings which I had built in my kitchen had passed the big test and stayed in the field for one-and-a-half years mastering all seasons and the occasional snow leopard inspection.
These stealthy cats are not only mysterious and incredibly beautiful, to me they also look wise. Almost from another world. I’ve photographed other big cats, but the ‘ghost of the mountain’ is in its own category.