A tourist has been mauled after getting too close to a snow leopard for a selfie in a ski resort in China.
Footage showed the woman lying in the snow with the big cat next to her moments after being attacked.
The skier was travelling back to her hotel in the ski resort of Koktokay, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, when she spotted the snow leopard in the woods.
A group of other curious tourists appeared at the same time to catch a glimpse of the cat.
The woman then decided to move closer and take her phone out for a picture.
The woman was rescued by brave onlookers who scared the big cat away (X)
After trying to gradually inch closer to the leopard for around ten minutes, it suddenly pounced on her.
Horrified onlookers said they saw the cat maul her face and even bite down on her skull with its sharp jaws.
The woman was feared dead, but thankfully, her ski helmet saved her life.
The animal sat near the woman whilst she lay motionless and bleeding, but was eventually chased away by a ski instructor waving his poles around. The woman was then dragged to safety by terrified onlookers.
Her condition was later said to be stable and not life-threatening by doctors at Fuyun County People’s Hospital.
The big cat sat by the woman who lay motionless and bleeding into the snow (X)
There has never been a recorded human death from a snow leopard attack.
The snow leopard was later confirmed to have been repeatedly spotted in the area days before the attack.
Safety warnings had, in fact, been released about the animal. One said, “Recently, snow leopard activity has been detected in Gem Valley, Keketuohai.Snow leopards are large predators with strong aggressive tendencies. When passing through this area, please move quickly and do not linger.
Do not get out of your vehicle or approach to take photos, and never walk alone in the surrounding area.”
