Snow leopards were recently caught on infrared cameras in the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve in Gansu province. The animals are classified under first class national protection in China.

As the apex predators in the high-altitude ecological food chain, snow leopards are often referred to as the "barometers of the health of high-altitude ecosystems", crucial for maintaining the stability and health of the local ecosystem.

In recent years, with the sustained improvement of the ecological environment in the Qilian Mountain, the nature reserve has become a paradise for rare animals such as snow leopards and white-lipped deer.