The life of a wildlife photographer may be cool but it isn’t easy. They often have to endure extreme heat or cold, strenuous journeys and long, uncomfortable hours waiting while nothing happens. But when it pays off, it’s more than worth it.
Wildlife photographer Rémi Vacher has photographed everything from young leopards trying to hunt in Sri Lanka, to vipers snuggled in the sand in Dubai, and Weddell seals snoozing in Antarctica.
But the most unforgettable wildlife moment he has ever witnessed, he says, is the sight of a snow leopard carelessly tumbling down a powdery slope in India’s Spiti Valley.
“Pure joy!” he says while sharing the clip on Instagram. “Watch as this snow leopard lets loose and plays in the snow. You won’t regret it.”
In the footage, the rare cat pads purposefully through the snow before lying on its side and playfully sliding down the hill.
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You’d be forgiven for thinking it had lost its footing – that's if the snow leopard didn’t do the same thing again later, which Vacher also caught on camera.
"One of the most incredible [things] you will see today,” he says when sharing the footage in another Instagram post. “A snow leopard playing in the snow and falling down the hill.”
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