Passion for snow leopards shines through lens

Award-winning photo

In May 2020, a Tibetan official from a township in Shiqu told Lyu that he had captured images of four snow leopards in an isolated valley, and Lyu relayed the news to Luo.

Luo went to Shiqu again. As the sighting happened just two days before his arrival, he believed that the leopards were still there and he committed to staying until he spotted them. Seven days passed with no sign of the majestic creatures, leading some disillusioned photographers to depart. Positioning themselves at the site of the recent sighting, they settled in for a patient wait.

While Luo rested in the car, his guide and driver, Nyima Drakpa, roused him with news of three snow leopards atop the mountain ridge. Luo captured footage of the leopards descending the ridge and later photographed the fourth leopard. "It was a thrilling breakthrough," he said.

Returning the next morning, they located the leopard family again. Using a drone to observe the animals from a distance, Luo found them feeding on a blue sheep on a slope. Opting not to disturb the leopards, he stationed himself a little further down the hill.

In the afternoon, the satiated leopards leisurely approached Luo's position, pausing on a slope 300 meters away to rest. Maneuvering his drone closer, Luo captured a striking image of the leopards relaxing on the verdant alpine meadow.

The photo, titled "Snow Leopard Summer", garnered a highly commended award in the Animals in their Environment category of the 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year in London.

Luo embarked on tracking the Drolma family — named after the family's female adult — ever since. His dedicated efforts have seen him visit the valley 35 times, typically spending a week per trip.

"After my first snow leopard sighting in 2018, I set a goal for myself to complete 99 'encounters' with them in the wild — that seemed unachievable at the time," he said. "Through years of effort, finding snow leopards has become much easier for me. The count of my encounters with them may well exceed 200, but I haven't counted for quite some time."