A skiing tourist was injured in a snow leopard attack on Friday evening in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Xinjiang is part of a vast transboundary ecosystem that supports one of the world’s largest populations of snow leopards.

According to the Snow Leopard Trust, China is home to the highest number of wild snow leopards globally. The country borders nine of the twelve nations where snow leopards are found and contains more than half of the world’s potential snow leopard habitat.

Local authorities in Fuyun County, part of the Altay Prefecture, said the incident occurred around 7PM on January 23 in the Talat village area of Koktokay Township, a popular skiing destination.

The tourist was returning to a hotel when the animal attacked from a roadside forest belt.

After the incident was reported to police, the injured tourist was transported to a hospital for treatment. Local authorities said the individual is now in a stable condition following medical care.

Videos circulating on social media showed a tourist dressed in a purple ski suit lying on the snow, while a snow leopard stood nearby in a watchful posture. Other footage showed the injured individual being assisted by people at the scene, with visible blood on the person’s face, China News reported.

In response to the incident, multiple departments, including the local forestry and grassland bureau and the public security bureau, have stepped up safety patrols and protective measures in the surrounding areas.

The attack, while alarming, is considered highly unusual.

Snow leopards are known for their elusive nature and generally avoid human contact.

Experts say direct encounters remain rare even in regions where snow leopard populations are relatively dense.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) notes that snow leopards are solitary animals and are typically seen with others only during mating season or while raising their young.

A female snow leopard has a gestation period of around 93 days and gives birth to litters of two to four cubs, which she raises alone for 18 to 24 months.

After this period, the cubs separate from their mother to establish their own home ranges.

Snow leopards primarily hunt herbivores, particularly Himalayan blue sheep, a single kill of which can sustain the animal for up to two weeks. They usually hunt at dawn and dusk and are capable of killing prey up to three times their own weight.

Despite their size and strength, experts and science reports stress that snow leopards are not aggressive toward humans and that attacks are extremely rare.

Even American biologist and conservationist George Schaller, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on snow leopards, has long described the species as non-aggressive toward humans.

Speaking to The New York Times on the subject, Schaller said, “I don’t know of a single case of a snow leopard that would attack and kill people.”

While snow leopards possess sharp teeth and powerful jaws designed to kill and consume prey, Schaller noted that there has never been an authenticated case of a snow leopard attacking a human.

Schaller said the animals’ reclusive behaviour and preference for avoiding human contact make such encounters exceptionally rare, even in regions where their habitats overlap with tourism and human settlements

Officials said investigations into the circumstances surrounding Friday’s incident are ongoing, while measures remain in place to prevent similar encounters as winter tourism peaks in the region.