Rare footage of three leopard cats, including a mother and her two cubs, has been captured by the Nanshan Provincial Nature Reserve in Jinhua City, east China’s Zhejiang Province. The video, unveiled on Tuesday, was discovered by reserve staff during their routine analysis of infrared camera data.
“In this footage, we observe three leopard cats—a female and her two young cubs. The mother was very cautious near our infrared camera. After ensuring the area was safe, she led her cubs away,” said Lou Xiaoli, a staff member at the nature reserve.
Leopard cats, classified under second-class state protection in China, predominantly inhabit mountainous forest areas abundant in shrubs. They are generally solitary animals, except during the breeding season, making this sighting of a family group particularly rare.
The female leopard cat in the video was likely in her nurturing period, guiding her cubs to find food at night. This sighting indicates a healthy population of leopard cats within the reserve.
The Nanshan Provincial Nature Reserve, the largest in Zhejiang Province, has been actively utilizing digital technologies such as infrared cameras and drones to monitor wildlife. These efforts have brought rare and endangered animals into the public eye, highlighting the region’s rich biodiversity and the effectiveness of conservation initiatives.
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Rare footage of a trio of leopard cats captured in east China
cgtn.com
