Snow leopards walk into power station
Print Edition
Two snow leopards roamed into the working area of a hydropower station in northwest China鈥檚 Gansu Province, according to the station yesterday.
The station, which belongs to the Longyang Hydropower Co Ltd in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, is located in the Qilian mountains. Surveillance camera footage showed a dark shadow wandering outside the gate of the station at 6am on November 18 before worming in from under the door, followed by another one.
鈥淭hen we adjusted the camera and the images of two snow leopards moving in the working area of the station were clearly seen,鈥 said Chen Haiyang, a station staff.
鈥淚 thought they were foxes at first, but as the camera zoomed in, I realized they were snow leopards,鈥 Chen said. 鈥淲ild animals like blue sheep frequented before but this is the first time the big cats were found here. I was very scared, after all, they were visiting a workplace.鈥
鈥淎 range map of the snow leopards shows a sign of expanding, but overall, it鈥檚 uncommon for the mammal to appear in areas of human activity,鈥 said Ma Duifang, an official with the administration of the Gansu section of the Qilian Mountains National Park, which covers 50,200 square kilometers in Gansu and Qinghai.
鈥淲hen encountering snow leopards, one should keep a safe distance and avoid making provocative or threatening actions.鈥
鈥淲ild animals, including snow leopards, have appeared frequently in recent years, which indicates their habitats are constantly improving,鈥 said Ma, who has been engaging in wildlife research in the mountains for more than a decade.
Snow leopards are under China鈥檚 highest national-level protection and are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The species mainly inhabit the Himalayas in central and southern Asia at an altitude of 2,500-4,500 meters. In China, they are found in the alpine areas in southwestern and northwestern regions, including Tibet, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
