Some of them spotted snow leopards, then tried to point them out to us, and it took us several minutes to train our vision to see them.” She credited local guides for helping to spot the leopards, explaining, “The Ladakhis are incredible in this way. “When I look back at my photographs I often wonder how many we might have walked past in the field and simply didn’t see them.” “Snow leopards camouflage themselves so well that they can turn their back on you and literally disappear into their landscape,” Vandyke said. The photographers were astonished to spot five snow leopards, and were in awe at how quickly the animals seemed to vanish before their eyes. The park is considered one of the world’s premier destinations for observing wild snow leopards. Vandyke and Beaman captured some of their images during a 2015 Wild Images expedition to Hemis National Park, also in Ladakh. Watson captured the top image on March 8 near Saspotsay Village, Ladakh, before COVID-19 travel restrictions were put in place. Their images accompany this post and, for readers who want to test their locating skills, we’ve presented the more challenging images a second time below with the animals circled in red (enlarging photos might help).
While it’s not incredibly difficult to spot, earlier images captured by expedition leaders Inger Vandyke and Mark Beaman show why snow leopards are often referred to as the “grey ghosts of the mountains.”
The image atop this post, captured by Mike Watson during a recent Wild Images Phototours expedition to Ladakh, India, shows one of the big cats maneuvering down a cliff face. Snow leopards possess a remarkable ability to blend into their surroundings, which helps them stalk sheep and other prey.
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