IRS officer shares how he trekked in -15 degrees Celsius to capture the video of snow leopards that went viral

Snow leopards, also called the "ghost of the mountains," are extremely elusive animals that inhabit the Himalayas' snow-covered peaks. Due to how frequently they are seen and captured on camera, a rare sighting of a snow leopard family in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti valley has gone viral on Twitter.

The video was captured by IRS officer and photographer Ankur Rapria. Upon speaking to Hindustan Times, Rapria says, "I am a passionate wildlife photographer. I have been there for five days in search of snow leopards with the help of local scanners. First four days, there was no luck. Lucky I spotted two cubs and their mother on the fifth day after trekking 4-5kms in -15 degrees near Kibber Village, Spiti Valley."

He also added that it was 'like a lifetime achievement to see cubs and their mother together.'

After the video went viral, Rapria told HT "This video showcases the diversity of great wildlife of our country. But at the same time, it puts a responsibility on us also to protect it for our future generations."

In the footage that was shared on Twitter, the snow leopard cubs can be seen reuniting with their mother after hearing her call. At the end of the video, the family is seen cuddling.

Take a look at the clip below:

Looks amazing, doesn't it? Rapria also shared a few more images of the majestic snow leopard captured by him.

Take a look at the pictures below:

Since the videos of the snow leopards were shared on Twitter, it has been viewed over 15,000 times and has received close to 400 likes. Many have even reacted to the video.

Check out a few reactions here:

An individual posted, "Such a lovely clip! All the best for more in the future." Another person added, "Great sighting and captured really well. Incredible." "Man, I stayed in Spiti for snow leopard the whole week, but I couldn't capture. You are so lucky, but I also have great pictures of other animals," shared a third.