A tourist was mauled by a snow leopard while attempting to take a selfie with the animal. The skier was left with serious, though not life-threatening, injuries in the attack in the Talat village area of the Keketuohai UNESCO Global Geopark in Funyun County in northern China, according to local reports cited by Mail Online. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Friday as the tourist was returning to her hotel and moved dangerously close to the animal to take a photo. Video footage circulating online shows the tourist pinned beneath the leopard in deep snow before bystanders intervened. She is later seen being helped away, clutching her face as blood pours down. Xinhua news agency reported that local staff believe the snow leopard may have descended from higher elevations because of recent cold weather and a lack of food. China is home to the world’s largest population of snow leopards, but sightings are extremely rare, as the animals typically avoid humans and are most active at night. Despite their elusive nature, the owner of a nearby hotel said the species had been spotted hours before the attack. “We saw it last night, a few kilometres from where the attack took place, but we can’t confirm if it’s the same snow leopard,” he said.
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