Many people have been to Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in Ladakh, year after year, hoping to catch a glimpse of the snow leopard. Photographer Nitin Pasricha however, was among the lucky few to catch a rare sighting on his first trip. He was part of a 10-night guided driving holiday through the Spiti Valley when his group received a call from a local hotelier in Chicham who tipped them off.
“We got news of leopards being spotted at the sanctuary. We drove quickly from Theog [7,578 feet] to Chicham [13,615 feet]. Usually, one has to acclimatise to the elevation at Chicham for a few days before they hike up to the sanctuary but we did not have time. Amidst sheets of white snow, we spotted two snow leopards. They were mating — an incredibly rare moment,” he says.
He was numb, he says. He stood still, not taking his camera out.
