Snow Leopard Mum Hunts Ibex on Sheer Cliff Face | World Wild Web

Amazing footage captured the rare moment a snow leopard hunted an ibex on a sheer cliff face.

Mayank Dhanawade tracked the elusive wild cats through the Spiti Valley, India, for four days when he spotted one on the attack on January 28.

Magnificent footage shows the hungry leopard carefully crawling down a sheer cliff face at 4,300metres to reach an elusive meal.

The unfortunate goat tried to escape but eventually lost its footing and tumbled into a stream below where the leopard could finally grab its dinner.

Mayank said: “I had a tear in my eye when I saw this happen and a lot of mixed emotions.

“On one hand, the snow leopards had not eaten for over a week. on the other hand, the Ibex was a very young one.

“It’s the balance of nature. It was heartbreaking to watch but I was grateful to get to experience something so rare.

“It reinforced the thought of nature being raw and we should appreciate it for the balance it keeps.

“I had seen other predators like tigers, lions, leopards and cheetahs hunt before, which was thrilling, but this was a whole other level.

“The terrain these snow leopards were hunting on, the altitude, the cold, the level of risk for the snow leopard where they can fall off, the sound of the ibex screaming, it all was something rare.

“This leopard was with their sibling, which is when it found an injured ibex stuck on the mountain side.

“We figured the snow leopards attempted a hunt on it. They must have missed it and now the ibex is at a point which is not reachable.

“The ibex was so badly injured that it didn't have any strength to move anywhere.

“For the next three days, we saw snow leopards trying to find a path towards it, and the Ibex was stuck there with no food and water, just surviving somehow.

“The whole process lasted for four days but the kill attempt was over in less than 15 seconds.”