Rare photo of wild snow leopard
Tuesday September 1, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

It was taken by a camera trap in Afghanistan. The endangered animal is under threat and a zoo breeding programme is underway to preserve the species.

The trap was built by conservationists from The Wildlife Conservation Society, which is based in America and runs projects around the globe.

Camera traps are used by conservationists to record the behaviour of animals that, because of their rarity, would rarely be seen. This was taken in the Wakham corridor in the north east of the country.

Often the pictures are blurred, out of focus or they simply miss the animal altogether.

Not this time; What a beautiful sight.

A rare sight

Earlier this month on PlanetSKI we reported on the threat to the animal and we have also been reporting on the breeding programme in zoos around the world both in the USA and closer to home in Wales.

Click here for some BBC video of the Welsh twin cubs.