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Snow leopard mauls tourist after she gets close to take photo; chilling video emerges

The viral video shows the injured tourist lying motionless in the snow, with the leopard sitting nearby.

2 min readNew DelhiJan 27, 2026 04:18 PM IST

The snow leopard sat next to the injured tourist (Image source: @thewestaustralian/Instagram)

A ski excursion turned tragic for a tourist in China after she was mauled by a rare snow leopard while trying to take a picture. The incident unfolded in Koktokay town in the Xinjiang region on Friday last week.

According to CNN, the tourist, along with her friends, was on her way back to her hotel when she spotted the snow leopard. She got out of her vehicle and approached the animal to take photos.

The viral video shows the injured tourist lying motionless in the snow, with the leopard sitting nearby. The report added that another video shows onlookers helping the tourist and taking her to a safe place.

The tourist was rushed to the hospital and is in stable condition. The local authorities released a notice, saying, “The general public and tourists are urged to strictly abide by the safety guidelines, maintain a safe distance when encountering wild animals, and report to the police immediately to ensure personal safety,” CNN reported.

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The video has since gone viral, with several users slamming the tourist for being irresponsible. “Good! When will humans leave wild animas alone!!!” a user wrote. “Don’t invade their territory that’s all you have to do,” another user commented.

“Snow leopards are extremely rare. Let’s hope the animal is left alone,” a third user reacted.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there are only 4,000 to 6,500 snow leopards left worldwide, with 60 per cent of them located in China. The feline is considered the king of the mountains and preys on animals like blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas, and hares.