In the Helan Mountains, where snow leopards had become locally extinct, China launched its first systematic snow leopard reintroduction pilot project. The program has included individual selection, health assessments, genetic testing, acclimatization training, release and long-term monitoring.

　　Eight snow leopards have so far been introduced into the mountains. Together with individuals that arrived through natural dispersal, some snow leopards have established stable home ranges and begun hunting independently.

　　In 2026, the project achieved what the administration described as a complete conservation cycle: release, establishment in the wild, natural pairing, birth in the wild and successful rearing of a cub. The achievement is considered a major breakthrough in global snow leopard reintroduction and has filled a long-standing gap in the breeding history of wild snow leopards in the Helan Mountains.

　　Shi Kun, chief expert on snow leopards at the Feline Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said a camera this year captured an adult snow leopard with a cub in the Helan Mountains.

　　Through individual identification, researchers determined that the female was one released in 2024, he said. They estimate that the cub was born in the spring of 2025.

　　Despite the progress, conservation still faces challenges from climate change, habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict.

　　Shi said global warming could reduce snow cover and make areas that were previously difficult to access available for grazing. Livestock can become prey, creating a greater risk of conflict.

　　Snow leopards are also dependent on high-altitude habitats with relatively little human disturbance, Shi said.