Snow leopards, also known as the "ghosts of the mountains," are very rare to spot. But a sighting of a snow leopard family in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti valley has left the internet mesmerised. Indian Forest Service officer (IFS) Parveen Kaswan shared the video of the leopard with its two cubs on the micro-blogging site Twitter that has now gone viral.
''The ghost of the mountains. A snow #leopard family captured by good friend @irsankurrapria. They are one of the most agile hunters on #earth", read the caption of the post shared by Kaswan.
The video was captured by Ankur Rapria, IRS, in Kibber village in Spiti Valley and later shared by Kaswan.
The clip shows the cubs running across the mountain and making their way to the area where their mother is rested after hearing a call from her.
''It's a mother with two cubs. Snow leopards are most adaptable to high & cold altitudes. They are known for their acrobatics including running on steep slopes and long jumps. The video was shot at Lahaul-Spiti, last week," Kaswan shared more information in another tweet.
Since being shared the video has amassed 213.1k views, 4,525 likes and several comments.
"Wow! Can't imagine the hard work that would have gone into capturing this amazing video. So heartening", wrote one user.
"That is some camera work and peak patience. Awesome", wrote another user.
"They are the most majestic cats of all", wrote a third.
"Possibly the most beautiful video I have ever seen . Love the Snow Leopard", wrote a fourth.