On February 16, Mr. Qian, who was driving along the Xiuling Highway, spotted one adult and two juvenile leopards on the mountain near Cave 14 of Zhuyu Peak in the Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area. He immediately stopped his car to capture this rare moment. Afterwards, Mr. Qian called the Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area to report the sighting and provided the photos he had taken, which clearly show a robust adult leopard and two cubs.
Leopards are Class I protected animals in China and typically inhabit pristine, dense forests. Currently, only a small number of the North China subspecies are found in mountainous areas of Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan. The Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area is a national forest park with an excellent ecological environment. Among its key forested zones, Zhuyu Peak features lush vegetation and a forest coverage rate as high as 93%, making it a true “natural oxygen bar.” It is reported that this is not the first time leopard tracks have been found in the Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area—in September 2013, leopard activity was recorded in the Matou Mountain forest area in the western part of the scenic zone.
According to the scenic area, the location where the leopards were spotted is within a protected forest zone and is not open to tourists. Key tourist areas and routes within the scenic area are already under surveillance coverage. Moving forward, the scenic area will collaborate with forestry authorities to enhance monitoring and management in the Zhuyu Peak forest zone, focusing on gathering data on the leopards' movement patterns and strengthening the protection of this endangered wildlife species. Experts note that although leopards are fierce by nature, they rarely attack humans unless they feel cornered or desperate. The Yuntai Mountain Scenic Area also reminds visitors that if they encounter large wild animals during mountain tours, they should avoid approaching out of curiosity—ensuring both the animals’ safety and their own personal security. The scenic area will also step up measures to ensure visitor safety.