Spotted: Snow Leopards

22nd February 2012

We are pleased to announce that our February 2012 departure ‘In Search of the Snow Leopard’ has just returned with sightings of 2 snow leopards in 6 days.
Valerie Parkinson, the leader, reports from Delhi.

Sat huddled round a fire with the temperature outside at minus 15C, six days ago the Oracle of Sabu predicted we would see a Snow Leopard.

We scoffed - how can an 85 year old woman predict we would see a Snow Leopard when she didn’t even know where we were going? Cynical Westerners, none of us gave her prediction much credit – but we all pocketed the lucky thread she gave us. We were hypocrites, not fools.

2 days later, lucky thread hung faithfully around our necks, we set off from Leh and ventured into the snowy valleys of Rumbak. We met Khenrab and Smanla, expert trackers from the Indian Wildlife department who’ve spent countless winters in these Himalayan heights. Smanla had spotted a leopard in Hemis National Park recently so we headed for the Tarbuns Valley. We hunted for pawprints in the snow, but had to be satisfied with close sightings of Blue Sheep herds and Lammergeyers circling high above.  Above all, passion and patience characterised our time here.

The next day I spotted Lammergeyer feasting on a carcass, perched on a ridge high above our camp. We scrambled upwards to investigate as the bird grasped a bloody bone in its powerful talons and soared out of sight. The crackle of Khenrab’s radio shattered the mountain silence: ‘Shan!’ – the Ladakhi word for snow leopard.

We rushed – as much as anyone can rush at 3,800 metres – for the next valley, cramming our essentials (cameras, coats and binoculars) into bags. An anxious hour and a half journey brought us to the spot, a snow strangled gorge with a frozen waterfall. We scoured the scene with palpable excitement, hoping, praying, suddenly willing to wish upon a single lucky thread from a mad old lady.

And then, there she was. Asleep, curled upon a rock with her immense long tail dangling, was a beautiful, wild snow leopardess. We zoomed in our binoculars and didn’t dare blink in case we missed a second. She obliged us for twenty, perfect minutes before she rose, yawned lazily and sauntered across the cliffs for a better view. For ten minutes she considered us, like a judge sat on a huge, rocky throne. With a final appraising look, she disappeared over the ridge.

Suddenly, it occurred to us that it was past 5pm. The sun was sinking and the shadowed valley was now -10C. As we reached camp we took one lingering look over the ridge and were stunned beyond belief to see a flash of fur as the same leopardess padded away into the evening.

The next couple of days we saw Blue Sheep and Lammergeyers, Golden Eagles and Griffin Vultures. A fresh fall of snow revealed clear footprints of a Snow Leopard. We followed them to no avail. It was our last day, we had just lost hope of another sighting, and were traipsing back to camp when once more the radio crackled and the word ‘Shan’ rang out. Like flashes of lightening we were on the move, retracing our own steps in the snow towards a high ledge. There, sat above us on the snow-capped cliff, another leopard lounged. We crouched with bated breath, staring through the spotting scopes until the predator tired of our fascination and disappeared behind the rocks. When we awoke on our last morning, pawprints encircled our camp.

It was as if the leopards were wishing us farewell.

Related links:

In Search of the Snow Leopard

Snow Leopards - the search is over!