It would appear that skiing is dangerous for more reasons than just falling. At least that is the case in China's Xinjiang region. A tourist was mauled by a snow leopard during a skiing trip. Learn the events of this rare attack as well as the outcome.
Skier In China Is Mauled By A Snow Leopard
A tourist got far more than they expected from their recent skiing trip. Rather than get a face full of snow, this skier was mauled by a snow leopard this past Friday. However, it wasn't as if the animal struck out of nowhere. Instead, this tourist was attempting to get closer to the wild animal to snag a photo op with it.
As a result, this tourist visiting China's Xinjiang region suffered bites from the wild animal. According to a broadcaster from CCTV, the tourist had been in a vehicle when they spotted the elusive snow leopard. Excited by this rare sighting, they opted to get out of the vehicle and approach the animal. It was during this time that the skier was attacked.
A video shared on social media shows the snow leopard lying across the tourist's body after having attacked it. Luckily for the individual, others rushed to their defense and helped them walk away from the attack. As the group struggles to get the tourist back to safety, the snow leopard slinks off into the distance.
When Will People Learn?
It never ceases to amaze me that people don't know how to interact with wild animals. Look, I get it. I would be ecstatic to see a snow leopard in the wild as well. Also, you can bet that I would be zooming my camera as far as it could go in an attempt to get a cool shot. With that being said, I would not physically move my body closer to the wild animal in an attempt to get this photo.
Regardless of how adorable or majestic wild animals may seem, they are, in fact, wild. They do not know how to pose for your selfie, and more often than not, see you approaching them as a threat. I am sure that in this instance, the snow leopard was just trying to protect itself from what it thought was a danger.
This is not the first time people have been harmed in animal encounters after trying to take a selfie. People are hurt by bison in Yellowstone all the time because they refuse to respect the animal's distance. Unfortunatley, no matter how many times these animal attacks make headlines, people never seem to learn. The majority of the people in the comment section of the video did not feel bad for the individual either. Here are some of the comments left under the video.
- "No denying how beautiful these cats are, but not worth getting mauled to have your picture with one."
- "Stupid of her to go so near and trying to touch it. She should feel lucky and blessed to be attacked by the rare snow leopard and still alive. Sigh.."
- "I hope they didn't hurt the animal. This is 100% the woman's fault."
