Snow leopard mauls tourist at popular Xinjiang ski destination, leaving her face bloodied and wounded

A snow leopard has left a tourist at a popular Xinjiang ski destination who wanted to take close-up photos of the animal with severe wounds to her face, according to local media reports on Saturday (Jan 24). 

Footage of the incident, which took place on Friday at around 7pm at the Keketuohai Scenic Area in the Altay Prefecture, shows the leopard in the distance laying over a prone, face-down woman in the snow. 

The footage then cuts to the victim being helped away by several men. 

She can be seen clutching at her face, and the camera zooms in to show blood smothered across her gloves and streaming down her neck and coat. 

A separate cut then pans to the left, showing a man walking away with a snowboard in hand. In the distance, the leopard can be seen heading away from the crowd. 

The tourist was sent to hospital for treatment and was in stable condition, Sina.com reported. 

She had left her vehicle, crossing over barriers and travelling some 70m away from the road while wading through thigh-deep snow to get closer to the animal, Chinese publication iFeng reported. 

The leopard lunged at her, resulting in the injuries she received. A ski instructor then stepped forward and used ski poles to scare the animal away.

Snow leopards are less aggressive towards humans and do not proactively attack, Guangming Daily reported, citing no known cases in China of the leopard subspecies hunting humans. 

However, that doesn't mean snow leopards do not pose a threat to humans — they may defend themselves if approached, the Chinese publication stated. 

Fuyun County authorities said in a statement on Friday that they have intensified safety patrols and boosted public awareness campaigns in nearby areas. 

They also urged members of the public to follow safety guidelines, maintain a safe distance when encountering wild animals, and to report any sightings of such animals to the police.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com