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Ghosts of the mountains: Rare video of stunning snow leopard family in Ladakh surfaces online; watch

In the now-viral clip, three snow leopards can be seen navigating the snowy terrain in the Himalayas.

2 min readNew DelhiFeb 2, 2026 09:59 AM IST

Snow leopard's habitat in the country ranges across the trans-Himalayan region (Image source: @BROindia/X)

Amid the ongoing snow spell in Jammu and Kashmir, a stunning video of a family of snow leopards navigating their way up the Himalayas in Ladakh has captivated the Internet. Also known as the ghosts of the mountains, snow leopards are difficult to spot as they camouflage themselves well with the surroundings.

In the now-viral video, a snow leopard walks up in the snowy terrain, while two others follow the path. As the clip continues, one of them can be seen climbing through the rocky area and jumping off. Sharing the video, the official handle of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) wrote, “Spotting of the elusive Snow Leopard in the High Himalayas by Project Himank@BROindia—a powerful reminder that infrastructure development and nature conservation go hand in hand.”

Watch here:

#SnowLeopardSentinel #EcoSensitiveBRO #WildlifeWithBRO

Spotting of the elusive Snow Leopard in the High Himalayas by Project Himank@BROindia—a powerful reminder that infrastructure development and nature conservation go hand in hand.@LAHDC_LEH @lg_ladakh @adgpi… pic.twitter.com/zUtKdc67kl

— 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (@BROindia) February 1, 2026

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The video quickly gained traction, drawing a wave of reactions, with many impressed by the rare sighting. “Love the incredible visuals. We really hope that you mean it when you say ‘infrastructure and nature conservation go hand in hand’,” a user wrote. “Absolutely snow leopard are such a magnificent creature.. Our biodiversity is so rich,” another user commented.

“An absolutely incredible sighting. Thrice as lucky. Amazing. Thank you for sharing,” a third user reacted. “Super sighting. Very lucky to have witnessed this,” a fourth user chimed in.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species in the high-altitude Himalayas. The animal’s habitat in the country ranges across the trans-Himalayan region, including Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. According to the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI), the population of the animal currently stands at 718.