Ladakh's Snow Leopard Tracking Named World's 4th Best Wildlife

Snow leopards are among the wild animals hardest to spot. Living high in the mountains of Ladakh and the Himalayas, these big cats are built to survive cold weather and rocky land. Their pale grey and white fur, covered with dark spots, helps them blend into the snow and rocks around them.

Since they are mostly seen during winter and live in remote areas, very little is known about their life in the wild. Now, Ladakh has received global attention for offering travellers a chance to look for these rare animals in their natural home, NDTV reported.

Snow leopard tracking in Ladakh has been placed fourth in the world in the Wildlife Experience Index released by travel company Bailey Robinson. It scored 85.5 out of 100 in the ranking.

The Wildlife Experience Index compared 30 wildlife experiences from different parts of the world. The ranking was based on six factors: how rare the animal is, how remote the location is, its importance for conservation, how exclusive the experience is, how easy it is to reach, and the chances of seeing the animal.

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As per Conde Nast Traveller, Sarah Parker, sales director at Bailey Robinson, said, “What particularly stood out to us was the relationship between rarity and remoteness. The world's most extraordinary wildlife encounters tend to involve travelling further, going deeper into wilderness and experiencing something that very few travellers will ever have the opportunity to see.”

Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda was placed first. It was followed by emperor penguin expeditions in Antarctica and saiga antelope trips in Kazakhstan. Snow leopard trekking in Ladakh ranked fourth, while Javan rhino tracking in Java, Indonesia, took the fifth spot.

Two other wildlife experiences from the Indian region also featured on the list. Red panda tracking in Nepal, Bhutan or India ranked 15th, with a score of 78.5 out of 100. Meanwhile, greater one horned rhino safaris in India or Nepal came in the 21st position, scoring 74.5 out of 100.