The viral video that captured G-B’s snow leopards

WEB DESK: Back in March, a breathtaking moment unfolded high in the Karakoram mountains, one that reminded Pakistanis of the quiet miracles that still live in the country’s rugged wilderness. In the Central Karakoram National Park, game watcher Sakhawat Ali captured footage of four snow leopards, a mother and her three cubs, roaming gracefully through the snow. The video, filmed from about 250 metres away, quickly went viral, filling timelines with wonder instead of worry.

Ali, who has served in the park for nearly eight years, had been tracking the elusive cats for weeks, following faint paw prints across icy slopes. “I wasn’t afraid,” he said at the time. “They don’t attack unless they feel threatened. I just stayed silent and let them move in their own world.” His calm, steady presence captured not only the animals on film but also the serenity of coexistence between humans and wildlife.

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The sighting was special, a glimpse of a species that has long symbolised the soul of the high Himalayas. Park officials later confirmed that the Central Karakoram National Park hosts Pakistan’s largest snow leopard population, estimated between 35 and 40, and up to 220 across Gilgit-Baltistan.

The moment also reflected how conservation and community cooperation are helping these majestic creatures reclaim their space. While threats from climate change and human–wildlife conflict remain, the March encounter felt like nature’s quiet assurance, that beauty still thrives in the coldest corners, if we care to look closely enough.

As winter approaches again, one can’t help but hope that somewhere in the silent snows of Gilgit-Baltistan, that same leopard family continues to roam, free, strong, and unseen.