Some 35 North China leopards, classified as a first-class national protected animal, were caught on film by cameras installed by a research team in Liupan Mountain, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Photo: screenshot of Pear Video on Sina Weibo.

 
Some 35 North China leopards, classified as a first-class national protected animal, were caught on film by cameras installed by a research team in Liupan Mountain, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. 

"Our team has installed infrared cameras here since January 2020. We have now monitored a large number of first-class and second-class national protected animals, such as the North China leopard and forest musk deer," Gu Bojian, a PhD at the School of Sciences of Fudan University, said in a video posted on China's social media platform on Monday.

Researchers believe that there are 35 North China leopards living in the Liupan Mountain, 17 of which can be identified by their genders and other characteristics. 

"With the restoration of the forest and improvements in the environment, we expect that the leopards in Liupan Mountain will reproduce and expand in numbers," a research fellow said.

At present, there are only about 200 North China leopards in the country, mainly located in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu provinces and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. 

The North China leopard was included in the Red List of Endangered Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2012.

Global Times