In a recent sighting near the foot of the Liupan Mountains in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, a truck driver captured a glimpse of the elusive North China leopard, a national first-level protected species.

According to the truck driver, he and his companion were transporting construction materials to a construction site when they noticed unusual movement in the roadside vegetation. To their astonishment, it was a "big spotted cat".

In recent years, as the ecological environment in the Liupan Mountains has steadily improved and forest coverage has increased, numerous rare and wild animals have been making more frequent appearances in the region. A thorough investigation estimates that there are between 29 to 36 North China leopards residing in the Liupan Mountains Natural Reserve.