This Ski Trip Nearly Went Totally Wrong When They Came Across This Predator
I certainly wouldn't have played it so cool if that were me.
In case you didn't know, snow leopards are real, dangerous animals.
And this is what they look like. They're native to the mountain ranges in central and southern Asia, and are currently listed on the endangered species list - so seeing one is quite rare. They're smaller than other big cats, but are quite ferocious predators, due to their speed, fangs, climbing ability and natural camouflage.
Recently, a group of five went skiing in the mountains in Gulmarg, Kashmir.
What does this have to do with a snow leopard? You can probably see where this is going.
Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, the group of skiers came across a snow leopard hiding in the powder.
Luckily, one of the skiers was wearing a GoPro. He was warned of the leopard's presence before approaching it, and stopped dead in his ski tracks once he spotted the beast.
You can barely tell, but this is the snow leopard.
You can hear the man say in the video "he's got an eye on us," which is pretty terrifying. How would you react if you came across a dangerous big cat while on a skiing vacation?
The whole skiing group stopped and looked on, waiting to see what the leopard would do.
After a few second standoff, the snow leopard began to move.
After some struggling in the snow, the leopard sprinted off into the forest, nearly colliding with another skier.
This would be quite an adrenaline rush, and totally terrifying. What would you do if you were one of these people? I'd probably totally freak out. Most interestingly, they were only a few hundred meters from base camp when they spotted the leopard. Could it be lurking around as they sleep? We'll have to wait and see.
Watch the full video of the skiing journey.
It's like watching a video game - but be on the lookout for the snow leopard. Can you spot when it shows up?