KEEPERS OF THE WILD.

THIS WEEK COVER STORY When Li Yuhan spotted a snow leopard leisurely sitting on a snow-covered mountain in the Sanjiangyuan area, glancing down at her like an emperor trying to decide if the unexpected guest was actually worth its valuable time, she suddenly understood why the big cat is known as the "king of the snowy mountains." As a researcher with the Shanshui Conservation Center's Sanjiangyuan project, Li counted seven snow leopards during her tour of the area in October 2017. It obviously had no interest whatsoever in Li or the other volunteers from the Shanshui Conservation Center, a Beijing-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that monitors local wildlife, particularly the famously elusive snow leopards which are gradually becoming a less enigmatic species to Chinese biologists. [Extracted from the article]