The footage makes conservationists feel like “Christmas has come early”

Dec 8, 2012 11:30 GMT  ·  By

Both because there are few of them left in the wild, and because of their elusive nature, snow leopards are a rather rare sight.

Therefore, conservationists were more than overjoyed when a snow leopard mother and its two cubs were caught on camera in Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains.

More so given the fact that some fragments of the footage are actually close-ups of the animals.

It is believed that this part of Tajikistan is presently home to roughly 300 such felines, yet gathering information about their behavioral patterns is a very difficult thing to do.

This is partly because the terrain is rather inhospitable, and partly because snow leopards are incredibly gifted at blending in with their surroundings.

This rare footage of a snow leopard mother and its cubs is made available to you below.