Xinjiang UNESCO geopark: Tourist mauled by snow leopard in northern China after trying to snap photo

Warning: Distressing content

A tourist eager for a close-up encounter with a snow leopard in northern China has been mauled after getting within a few meters of a rare big cat to take a photo.

Footage from the aftermath of the incident shows the woman lying in the snow in a purple ski suit before being led away with blood pouring from her face on Friday evening in Fuyun county, near China’s border with Mongolia.

Local reports said the skier had approached the animal after spotting it in the snow, closing the distance to roughly three metres in an attempt to take a picture. A ski instructor eventually chases the leopard away by waving his poles.

The woman’s ski helmet is believed to have spared her more serious injuries, News.com.au reported. She was taken to a nearby hospital and was reported to be in a stable condition.

Authorities have since issued a warning to visitors following multiple snow leopard sightings in the area, urging tourists not to linger, exit their vehicles or approach animals for photos.

Warning: Distressing content below

“Snow leopards are large predators with strong aggressive tendencies,” officials said, advising guests to move quickly through affected areas and avoid walking alone.

The skier has been staying near the Keketuohai UNESCO Global Geopark in Xinjiang, where visitors reported seeing a snow leopard near a guesthouse the previous evening, reportedly looking for food.

“We saw it last night … but we can’t confirm if it’s the same snow leopard,” the guesthouse owner told local media.

China is home to roughly 60 per cent of the world’s wild snow leopard population, though the global number is estimated at just 4000 to 6500. Attacks on humans are consider extremly rare due to the animals’ shy and elusive behaviour. Now, as local authorities have pointedly emphasised, their preference is not to be made into tourist selfies.