Rare North China leopard spotted in China's Shaanxi

A wild North China leopard, a national first-class animal in China, was recorded by an infrared camera twice in Ganquan County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in March and November 2022.

The North China leopard was extinct in Ganquan County for many years. In recent years, with the implementation of ecological projects such as returning farmland to forest and protecting natural forests, the forest coverage ratio in Ganquan County has reached 87 percent, and the North China leopard has appeared again.

Zhu Mengyan, head of wildlife protection research team of Yan'an University, said that North China leopard spotted in Ganquan County, the northernmost region of Shaanxi Province, indicated that the number of North China leopards in Shaanxi is constantly increasing and their habitat is continuously spreading.

In addition to the North China leopard, a total of 188 species of wild animals were found in Ganquan County. Among them, four species of wild animals are under first-class protection in China, and 16 species are under second-class protection.