Elusive Snow Leopard Shoots Purrfect Selfies

Elusive Snow Leopard Shoots Purrfect Selfies

Have you ever been fortunate enough to see a snow leopard out in the wild? Yeah, me neither, and it may be because they are busy taking selfies just like us.

Brought to you via Daily Mail, we hear the story of wildlife photographer Terry Townshend's good fortune in capturing the snow leopard capturing itself. This leopard can be seen investigating the camera system that Townshend had placed in the mountains as it sees and approaches the setup in curiosity. This could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Townshend, so congratulations are in order for his timing, dedication, and good luck. You'll find more information about Mr. Townshend on his website dedicated to birding in China

Found in harsh mountainous regions like China, Nepal and India, the snow leopard is without a doubt one of nature's rarities. Take a moment and read up on these beautiful creatures here. These animals were once listed as an endangered species and are still vulnerable to poaching, habitat destruction, and climate change, among other threats.

Is there one animal that you'd love to see first-hand in the wild? I know that for me, a snow leopard would definitely be on my list. An experience like this one, retrieving your camera setup only to find that a leopard has come to investigate is a pretty amazing story. I'm definitely a bit jealous. 

Images used with permission from Terry Townshend.

Evan Kane is a portrait photographer based near Seattle. He specializes in colorful location portraits with a bit of a fairy tale flair. Always looking to create something with emotion behind it, he fell backwards into photography in mid 2015 and has been pursuing this dream ever since. One if his mottos: "There is always more to learn."

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9 Comments

Do these camera traps have a fixed focus?

Usually yes. This looks like a regular trail camera was used.

I think it was just a case of manually dialed focus and motion detector in the wrong place / pointed into wrong direction. Have it caught it earlier it could be in focus.

I wonder will PETA be looking for the rights to this image on behalf of the Snow Leopard? : )

Unlike the monkey the Leopard didn't push the trigger ;)
So it's technically not a selfie.

hahaha, sad but true.

lol

An animal that I would love to photograph in the wild - from a very long distance - is a Jaguar.

Rhino is one I would love to be able to photograph in its natural habitat.