A snow leopard with a thick, spotted coat gracefully descends a rocky hillside. Snow leopards are known for their piercing blue eyes that look intently forward as powerful limbs adeptly navigate the uneven terrain, surrounded by patches of green grass and scattered rocks.
A young snow leopard with spotted fur peers around a rocky ledge, its piercing blue eyes filled with curiosity. The background is blurred, highlighting the textures of the rocks and the majestic allure typical of snow leopards.
Two wolf pups frolic in a grassy field akin to playful snow leopards. One jumps energetically over the other, which lies amidst small green shrubs. The blurred background of lush greenery suggests a bright, sunny day.

Snow Leopards and Friends

Nature & Wildlife·1 x 50 min·Completed

In the airless heights of the Tibetan Plateau, herders and filmmakers unite to capture snow leopards’ rarest moments – survival, motherhood, and awe.

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Genre
Nature & Wildlife
Duration
1 × 50 min
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
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Synopsis

It’s midwinter in the mountains of the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, four kilometres up, and airless. This is the home of the rare snow leopard, the spirit of the Himalayas. Isolated yak herders have battled snow leopards, bears and wolves for generations; these are old animosities. In 2006, the area became a reserve, and a gun ban was strictly enforced. The herders have no way to protect their yak, and start losing 10% of their calves each year. What to do?

Three young herders try and supplement their income by scraping together some money from odd jobs, and borrow some cameras. They know the animals better than anyone, they grew up with them. Snow leopards are woven into their childhood dreams. Their names are Zi Ding, Qu Peng and Da Jie. They are joined by professional wildlife cameraman Xi Zhinong; together, they will work for over five years to capture amazing behaviour.

A pack of five Tibetan wolves moves around the area. For the first time they attack the yak herd in daylight, and the herders manage to film the spectacular hunt as the yak mothers bravely defend the calves by charging at the wolves.

One of the herders carefully follows the female snow leopard to her den. Inside, two new-born cubs, born blind, with startlingly blue eyes await. Snow Leopard cubs filmed in the den are a first! The cubs’ early days are filled with calm: they suckle and sleep, and seem tiny in comparison to their mother.
Over the summer, they grow. When they are old enough to be left alone for much of the day, they have surprising babysitters: Bharal sheep, a favourite snow leopard prey! The den is near a salt lick, and the sheep keep guard for predators, inadvertently protecting the cubs.

Dangers pass near the den. A bear is grazing in the meadow below, and a big male snow leopard, maybe the father, passes right by the entrance. He’s attracted by a magpie who has found the den. Magpies are scavengers, so no threat to the cubs, but the male could be dangerous, if he doesn’t recognise the cubs as his. The magpie signals that there’s no food in the den, and the cubs, cowering at the back, are left unharmed.

One day the team arrive to find the den deserted. Were the cubs killed at night? Has the mother led them away? The chances are that the herders will never know. The majority of cubs die in their first year – but a surprise awaits.

Spectacular wildlife and a stunning backdrop are the setting for a moving true story about the power of nature, of motherhood, and the fragility of life.

Team

Directed and Photographed by Xi Zhinong, Zi Ding, Da Jie and Qu Peng
Executive producers Andrea Gastgeb, Sabine Holzer
Production companies A co-production of Terra Mater Factual Studios, Mark Fletcher Productions and Wild China Films

Awards & Recognitions

Domzale, Slovenia FGF - Festival Gorniskega Filma Winner (Category: Best Mountain Nature and Culture Film) 2022
Graz, Austria Mountainfilm International Filmfestival Graz Gold Camera Alpin (Category: Nature & Environment) 2021
Goethe Science Film Festival Official Selection 2021
Lihula, Estonia MAFF - Matsalu Nature Film Festival Official Selection 2021
Rotterdam, Netherlands WFFR - Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam Official Selection 2021
Innsbruck, Austria INFF - Innsbruck Nature Film Festival Nomination 2021
Sondrio, Italy Sondrio Festival Nomination (Category: Student's Jury Competition) 2021
Eckernförde, Germany Green Screen - Internationales Naturfilmfestival Eckernförde Nomination (Category: Best Story) 2021
Missoula, USA IWFF International Wildlife Film Festival Official Selection (Category: 2021 General Selection) 2021
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