Wild Encounter on the Mountains

This story a lot of my friends would have heard from me and also they would have seen a couple of the photos. Decided to write it and also share the series of the photos to make it livelier After seeing the snow leopard from a distance for the first few years decided in 2015 not go to the usual places but asked my guide and dear friend Jigmet to use his contacts to see if we could find out if there were any villages where the snow leopard was frequenting. As there was no news of any such sighting we decided to go to Ullay to see if we could use the time to sight a snow leopard there. I remember on the third evening at Ullay Jigmet got a message that a male snow leopard was frequenting a village called Temisgam near Kargil. We left for that village at first light the next morning. The journey was a long one. Also 2015 was a year when Ladakh had received the least snowfall in a decade The Mountains were bare and uncovered. We reached Temisgam in the afternoon by around 3 PM. As we entered the village we saw a fem men gathered and staring at the opposite slope. The words that every wildlife photographer dreads the most came to mind “ Abi abi nikhala” and these villagers told us just that. They said the snow leopard was sitting on the slope all afternoon and had walked off a few minutes back. Jigmet went around the small village and told some of the villagers to call him if they see the snow leopard. We then found a home stay and started waiting. Next day morning even before I was awake Jigmet made a round of the village and found fresh pug marks but he could not track them because of the lack of snow. As we were getting ready for breakfast we received a call saying the snow leopard had been seen behind a house. We dropped everything and rushed there. But by the time we reached there the snow leopard had started walking up a steep hill. My guide rushed up and asked me to hurry, as it was just a few feet from him and going away fast. By the time I got there I could see only the tail disappearing. Was very disappointed but Jigmet assured me that he will find it for me. After scanning the ridges for the next 30 minutes we found him sitting on a ridge sunning himself.

I clicked a few photos and he got up and walked away to disappear.

Jigmet asked me to wait and he went up the steep hill to look for the leopard. What I witnessed then I think will not happen again in this lifetime Jigmet was walking down the hill from the other side and I was scanning the mountains if I could spot the leopard. Suddenly from a small hole between a big bolder the snow leopard appeared

and right at that moment Jigmet also appeared.

He was behind the snow leopard with just the boulder separating him and the leopard. The snow leopard stopped turned around had a look and then walked away unhurriedly.

Finally when Jigmet joined me on the ground I asked him how did it feel to be so close to the most elusive animal he said it was scary and when I asked what was he thinking he replied I was praying no time to think. He also said there has never been an incident of a snow leopard attacking a human being and he was happy that he did not rewrite history. After the snow leopard walked away into the mountains

we did not see him till evening so we decided to get back to Leh as I had a flight to catch to head back home the next day. Later we came to know that the Snow leopard he had entered a villagers sheep-pen and had killed a couple of sheep. He was captured released into the wild far away from the village. Spotting the Snow leopard in the mountains is very difficult. But without snow it becomes nearly impossible to spot them. Wish to thank my guide Jigmet for all the effort he puts in to find a Snow leoparrd for me to photograph.

Quiz find the snow leopard in the frame