In a first, snow leopards spotted in southwest China

The recordings that confirmed the presence of this endangered species in the province, were made on Feb. 17 and 19 this year, the provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau said.

At least two snow leopards were spotted at altitudes of 4,500 meters (14,763 feet) in the limits of Shangri-La city and 4,800m (15,748 ft) in a township in Deqen County, respectively.

According to Jiang Xuelong, a researcher at the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the species had not been photographed in the wild in Yunnan for many years due to the high-altitude distribution of snow leopards and the lack of systematic surveys, leading to uncertainty about their presence in the province.

"The recent sightings in the northwestern part of Yunnan not only confirm the species' presence in the province but also represent one of the southernmost distribution records within China," Xinhua quoted the researcher as saying.

Based on the latest distribution findings, zoologists believe that the Three Parallel Rivers area at the junction of Yunnan, Sichuan and Xizang is an important corridor and habitat for the snow leopard populations in the Hengduan Mountains.

Known as the "king of the snow mountains," the snow leopard is under first-class national protection in China and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.