In mid-October, Wang Pu and Duode Jiangba, two shepherds in Yushu, Qinghai’s Tibetan Autonomous Region, spotted a snow leopard on the opposite side of the river.
The hindlimbs of this snow leopard were diagnosed as paralyzed. After 24 consecutive days of rescue, it finally managed to stand up again on the morning of November 9th.
The hearts of concerned Chinese netizens throbbed with excitement as they witnessed its gradual recovery, anticipating the day when it can freely run and catch prey again.
Snow leopards—the endangered “kings of snow mountains”
Snow leopards, or “kings of snow mountains,” usually have a grey-whitish exterior, speckled with black rings and black spots. They are often active in regions with altitudes above 3000 meters. They are light, adroit and can be suitably called the “ghosts” traversing cold and high regions.
Only 4500-7500 snow leopards remain alive around the globe, and approximately 2000-2500 of these reside in China, where it became a species under first-class state protection.
Because snow leopards face the threat of extinction, losing even one individual leopard can considerably impact the preservation of the species.
There is hope for this injured snow leopard
When first rescued by volunteers, this rescued leopard could neither walk with its hind leg nor eat or drink anything, which caused it to become very weak. Thankfully, after the strenuous efforts of a medical team—consisting of Beijing Forestry University’s Changxi Xiao, Beijing Zhongnonog Paide Veterinary Hospital’s director Wan Yu, and his assistant—the injured leopard gradually began to regain its vigor.
Now, not only can it stand up and walk, its body weight has also increased from 17.5 kg to 21 kg. Moreover, its wild nature starts to gradually return.
One of the rescuers hopes that one day Xiangnan County can be included within the national protected areas and become a national park, which will make the protection of wild animals much easier.
Xinzhang Qi, another rescuer, wishes to acquire sufficient funds to establish a proper animal hospital with more professional veterinarians. Unfortunately, Xiangnan County currently lacks adequate medical resources for animals.
Just a week ago on November 26th, another injured snow leopard was found in Yushu and sent to Xining for treatment. Another war of rescue has begun.
Written by Riley Peng.
Info and photos obtained from The Paper.
Click here to read the original article from The Paper in Chinese