A rescued snow leopard has been returned to the wild in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The adult leopard had wandered into a herder’s sheep pen in Wensu County before being safely transferred to a temporary care station. There, veterinarians and researchers from the Tomur Peak National Nature Reserve and a Beijing-based nature conservation NGO conducted a thorough checkup.

Once confirmed healthy, the snow leopard was fitted with a satellite tracking collar and released back into its original territory. “Through the real-time satellite data transmitted by the collar, we can monitor the snow leopard’s range of movement and intensity of its activity,” said researcher Liu Yixuan.

Snow leopards, which live at 3,000–5,000 metres in alpine zones, are showing steady population recovery in Xinjiang’s Tianshan Mountains thanks to strengthened conservation efforts.

Source: China Central Television