Recordings of four, rarely seen snow leopards that climbed up snow -covered cliffs in northern Pakistan, have created a madness of excitement among conservationists, CNN reported.

Snow -Leopards are among the world’s most elusive beings in nature, and it’s hard to catch even one on the camera, so much smaller four, with the sight celebrated as a success story for Pakistan’s conservation effort.

Sakhawat Ali, a gamekeeper and photography enthusiast from the remote village of Hushe, caught the footage of March 13 after what he described as “two weeks of tracking their pawprints” through the snow -covered central Karakoram National Park – close to K2, the world’s second highest mountain.

Ali told CNN that the four snow leopards were a mother and her three cubs.

“In the village, we are used to seeing snow leopards, but no one, not even the elders I spoke to have ever seen four snow leopards at once,” he said.

The four snow leopards were discovered on a snow -covered cliff in Central Karakoram National Park, Northern Pakistan.

The four snow leopards were discovered on a snow -covered cliff in Central Karakoram National Park, Northern Pakistan. Sakhawat Ali

He first discovered his mother and then began to notice additional pawprints. Later “became lucky” and sighted the animals together as he observed a nearby cliff, through binoculars, from the roof of his house. He them with his camera to film them from a distance of 200 meters.

Ali said neighbors from his village are celebrating sight – though they have some concerns that their pets could be in danger.

Snow Leopards is currently listed as “vulnerable” at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of endangered species. Known locally as the “ghost of the mountain”, they are easily camouflaged in their natural habitat for the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltist region.

Environmental anthropologist Shafqat Hussain says that the rocky terrain in northern Pakistan may be the “best snow leopardhabitat in the world”.

They inhabit only high alpine areas in the Himalayas, and while their habitat spreads over 12 nations, including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia and Mongolia, observations are very rare.

Dr. Zakir Hussain, chief conservator parks and wildlife for Gilgit-Baltistan told CNN that the observation was a “victory” for the work done to raise awareness among the local communities about the importance of protecting snow neon. He said that eighty percent of members of society are now involved in conservation, tracking and attention activities.

World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Pakistan, said it was optimistic in terms of vision, but stressed snow leopards remain an endangered species still facing “several threats.”

In a statement, it said it is important that local communities “work together to protect and preserve these incredibly large cats, which ensures that future generations can witness their splendor in nature.”

According to the United Nations environmental program “Human activities and growing livestock herds in some areas has led to the degradation of grassland and habitats for wildlife” that affect food supplies.

Other threats, according to UNEP, include poaching and fragmentation of the animal’s habitats due to massive new infrastructure projects beyond climate change – which are “expected to aggravate these existing threats.”

By 2023, Pakistan was ranked as the 5th most vulnerable country for climate change according to the World Bank’s global climate risk index.